General Information

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Climate and weather

The village Karasjok is situated next to the river Karasjoka in the Karasjok valley on the Finnmark Plateau. Karasjok is on the inland and is protected from the ocean winds and weather by mountains along the coast. This gives the inland of Finnmark a typical continental climate with relatively stable weather summer and winter and a litle more shifting weather in spring and automn. The winters (November to April) are normally cold and relatively dry. The Summers (June to August) are normally cool and dry. There are an average of 71 days with minimum temperature bellow -20°c and 21 days with maximum temperature above 20°c per year. The average temperature for the year in Karasjok is -2,1°c and the average precipitation is 366mm pr year.

In the later years the effects of climate change has become more and more visible in the arctic north. We are therefore experiencing bigger vartieties in the weather than before and bigger divagations from standard weather.

The polar night in Karasjok is from 28th November to 14th January. In this periode the sun is never above the horizon and you only have a couple of hours with dusk/dawn. The low sun makes a blue light that is reflected in the white snow and wraps the landscape in a million shades of blue and white.
For a photographer these few hour of "day light" can give some realy exiting new possibilities for photo composition and atmosphere.

From 19th May to 23rd July we have what is called midnight sun in Karasjok. This means that the sun never sets and you can see the sun all day throug. During this periode it never gets dark and this is when the arctic nature really explodes in a cascade of life.

Weather forecast for Karasjok

If you are considering when to come to Karasjok, here are some hints:

November to January:The tranquillity of the polar night gives a unique and distinctive atmosphere. Nature is "sleeping". Everyone and everything is doing only what is needed to survive the cold periode. The magical northern light (Aurora Borealis) can often be seen dancing in the sky. The weather is normally cold (often colder then -20°c. , clear and stable. Mean temperature -12,3°c. Link to the current Aurora Borealis activity

January and February: Towards the end of January the days gradually become longer as the sun starts to reappear. The only people one meets on the mountain plateau at this time are Sámi reindeer herders. This is the coldest time of the year and teperatures can some places dropp as low as -40°c or colder . The weather is normally still cold, clear and stable. Mean temperature -16°c.

March to April: The weather starts getting milder as the days become longer and brighter . This is a good time for ice-fishing in the many lakes found in this region. This is also the best time for multiple day skiing trips. Mean temperature -6,4°c.

May: Warm days, cold nights. 24 hours of daylight and midnight sun from the seccond half of the month. The snow is just starting to melt and it is the best time for ice-fishing (mean temperature. Skiing is still good in the mountains but in the lolands the snow is getting more and more slushy and difficult to ski in. The reinder herders start to migrate with their herds towards the coast in early May or late April. Late in May, nature is "waking up" and you can almost litteraly feel the energy returning to the land. Mean temperature +4,1°c.

June and July: In the end of June the trees are starting to burst int leaf and the mosquitos become active. While lake fishing kicks off in June, July is the salmon fishers main time. From July the rivers are down again after the spring floods and the canoe season starts. Mean temperature 11,9°c.

August and September: Nature is at its most generous and it is the time for humans and animals to harvest the riches produced by nature through a light summer. Berries and mushrooms are ready to be picked and this is when hunting seasons start. Nights can become cold as early as the middle of August and the mosquitos are gone. In September the Finnmark plateau wraps it self in bright yellow, red and brown autumn colurs. This is the best time for hiking holidays. Mean temperature +16,1°c.

October: This is in between summer and winter and the weather can be quite unstable. You can experience beautifull warm and suny days and ice cold snowy days within the same week. Fishing can still be verry good and for the adventourus traveler, hiking can still be an absolutely beautifull experience. Mean temperature -1,3°c.

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