Climate
Svalbard's climate is a combination of a cold Arctic climate tempered by the North Atlantic Current. Nordenskiöld Land is the warmest and wettest part of the archipelago, caused by the convergence of mild and humid air from the south and cold air from the north. Average summer temperatures are typically 4 to 6 °C (39 to 43 °F) while average winter temperatures are −12 to −16 °C (10 to 3 °F). Longyearbyen experiences midnight sun from 19 April through 23 August, and polar night from 14 November through 29 January. However, the sun is not visible in Longyearbyen until 8 March.
| Climate data for Longyearbyen | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | −13 (8.6) |
−13 (8.6) |
−13 (8.6) |
−9 (15.8) |
−3 (26.6) |
3.0 (37.4) |
7.0 (44.6) |
6.0 (42.8) |
1.0 (33.8) |
−4 (24.8) |
−8 (17.6) |
−11 (12.2) |
−4.75 (23.45) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −20 (−4.0) |
−21 (−5.8) |
−20 (−4.0) |
−16 (3.2) |
−7 (19.4) |
−1 (30.2) |
3.0 (37.4) |
2.0 (35.6) |
−3 (26.6) |
−9 (15.8) |
−14 (6.8) |
−18 (−0.4) |
−10.33 (13.40) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 22.0 (0.866) |
28.0 (1.102) |
29.0 (1.142) |
16.0 (0.63) |
13.0 (0.512) |
18.0 (0.709) |
24.0 (0.945) |
30.0 (1.181) |
25.0 (0.984) |
19.0 (0.748) |
22.0 (0.866) |
25.0 (0.984) |
271 (10.67) |
| Source: | |||||||||||||
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