May brings 12°C daytime highs, 42mm of precipitation across about 7 wet days and 21.3 hours of daylight — best for spring greenery and long light evenings. The strongest run of the year is May to July. November is the quietest month: cold and snow-focused, and still good for snow, skiing and aurora & dark skies.
Long-run climate normals for Northern Lights. Month ratings compare months within Northern Lights only — they are not a ranking of Northern Lights against other destinations, and they are not a forecast for a specific year.
Last updated: · Live forecast data refreshes hourly.
| Best month | May — Spring greenery, Long light evenings |
| Best 3-month window | May–July |
| Quietest month | November — Cold and snow-focused |
| Driest month | February — 9mm |
| Wettest month | October — 90mm |
| Warmest / coolest | July 18°C / January -5°C |
| Seasonality | Strongly seasonal — the months feel like different places |
| Annual rainfall | 576mm over roughly 103 rain days |
November gets roughly 29% more precipitation than May — 54mm against 42mm. That difference, more than temperature, is what changes how a day here feels.
Northern Lights swings 23°C between July (18°C) and January (-5°C) — the month you pick changes what you pack more than where you go.
June gives you 24 hours of daylight against just 0 in January — a 24-hour difference in how much you can actually fit into a day.
February is the driest month at 9mm across roughly 2 wet days, while October peaks at 90mm.
January–December sit at or below freezing, so the precipitation shown for those months falls mainly as snow rather than rain — the millimetre figures are water equivalent, not puddles.
June is almost as good as May, but usually quieter and cheaper. If your dates are flexible, it is the easier trip.
Northern Lights changes character completely through the year — May and November are effectively two different destinations. Pick the month that matches what you want to do, not the highest-rated one.
Ratings compare months within Northern Lights, not against destinations worldwide: five stars means the best time to be here, not that Northern Lights beats anywhere else. Tags describe what the conditions actually suit.
| Month | Rating | High / Low | Precipitation | Wet days | Sun | Daylight | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | ★★☆☆☆ | -5°C / -15°C | 18mm (snow) | 4 | 8h | 0h | Snow · Aurora & dark skies · Cabin weekends |
| February | ★★★☆☆ | -3°C / -13°C | 9mm (snow) | 2 | 9h | 6.6h | Aurora & dark skies · Cabin weekends · Reliable sunshine |
| March | ★★★★☆ | 1°C / -9°C | 9mm (snow) | 2 | 9h | 11.2h | Cabin weekends · Reliable sunshine · Low-angle light |
| April | ★★★★★ | 7°C / -2°C | 30mm (rain/snow) | 5 | 8h | 15.7h | Cabin weekends |
| May | ★★★★★ | 12°C / 4°C | 42mm | 7 | 8h | 21.3h | Spring greenery · Long light evenings |
| June | ★★★★★ | 16°C / 8°C | 54mm | 9 | 7h | 24h | Hiking · Cycling · Long light evenings |
| July | ★★★★★ | 18°C / 10°C | 66mm | 11 | 7h | 24h | Hiking · Cycling · Long light evenings |
| August | ★★★★☆ | 16°C / 8°C | 78mm | 13 | 5h | 17.4h | Hiking · Cycling · Long light evenings |
| September | ★★★☆☆ | 12°C / 4°C | 90mm | 15 | 4h | 12.8h | Autumn colour |
| October | ★★☆☆☆ | 7°C / -2°C | 90mm (rain/snow) | 15 | 3h | 8.3h | Cabin weekends · Autumn colour · Quiet and local |
| November | ★★☆☆☆ | 1°C / -9°C | 54mm (snow) | 12 | 4h | 2.8h | Snow · Skiing · Aurora & dark skies |
| December | ★★☆☆☆ | -3°C / -13°C | 36mm (snow) | 8 | 6h | 0h | Snow · Skiing · Aurora & dark skies |
| You are planning | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sun & beach days | March | 9h daily sunshine, 1°C highs and only 2 rain days. |
| City walking & sightseeing | June | 16°C highs with 24h of daylight — long days without heat fatigue. |
| Photography & light | May | 8h of sun and 21.3h daylight give the widest window for golden-hour work. |
| Value & fewer crowds | April | Scores 62/100 — close to peak conditions but outside the busiest window. |
| Cooler-weather travel | June | 16°C highs and 8°C nights suit anyone who dislikes heat. |
Each month in Northern Lights is described from long-run climate normals and then rated relative to the other eleven months in the same city. A five-star January in a cold destination means January is one of the best times to be there — not that it beats a Mediterranean summer.
| Factor | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Described | Average daytime high and overnight low for the month, shown as measured rather than judged. |
| Precipitation | Described | Monthly millimetres and wet-day count, labelled as snow or rain/snow where temperatures make that the likely phase. |
| Sunshine & daylight | Described | Average daily sunshine hours and astronomical daylight length at mid-month, from the city’s latitude. |
| “Best for” tags | Derived | Applied only when the conditions genuinely support the activity — snow depth-friendly cold for skiing, 13–24°C and low rain risk for hiking, dark evenings at high latitude for aurora. A month with few strong use cases gets fewer tags rather than padded ones. |
| Star rating | Relative | Ranks the month against the other eleven months in the same city. Never a comparison between cities. |
Figures are long-run climate averages, not a forecast for a specific year. Where a month lacks sourced rainfall or humidity, the value is modelled from temperature range and rain frequency.
May is the best all-round month in Northern Lights: 12°C highs, 42mm of precipitation and 21.3 hours of daylight, which suits spring greenery and long light evenings. The strongest three-month window is May to July.
November — 1°C highs, 54mm of precipitation over roughly 12 days and 2.8 hours of daylight. It is the cheapest and least crowded time to go, and it still works for snow, skiing and aurora & dark skies.
February is the driest month at 9mm over about 2 rain days, against 90mm in October. Across the year Northern Lights records around 576mm.
Yes, but the months are genuinely different trips. May suits spring greenery and long light evenings, while November suits snow, skiing and aurora & dark skies. Pick the month that matches what you want to do.
Daylight ranges from 0 hours in January to 24 hours in June, calculated from the city's latitude.