Weather in Svalbard and Jan Mayen

Svalbard offers two very different but equally compelling seasons for visitors. Summer, from June through August, brings the famous Midnight Sun — continuous daylight for up to four months — when expedition ships and zodiac tours navigate ice-free fjords to encounter polar bears, walrus colonies, and calving glacier fronts. Wildlife activity peaks in summer, hiking and kayaking are at their most accessible, and the otherworldly experience of sitting outside at 2 a.m. in full sunshine reading a book is one of the most disorienting and wonderful feelings in travel. July is the warmest month, with temperatures in Longyearbyen reaching a mild 5–8°C.

Winter from November through March is for travelers seeking polar darkness and the northern lights. The aurora borealis dances over Longyearbyen with remarkable frequency and intensity from December through March, and the combination of deep cold, starlit skies, and the glow of northern lights over a snow-covered Arctic landscape is genuinely transcendent. Dog-sledding, snowmobile safaris to remote fjords and huts, ice caving, and the unique experience of the polar night make winter Svalbard one of the most adventurous and memorable destinations for cold-weather travelers. April's increasing light, stable snow conditions, and ski touring on glaciers offer a middle ground between the two extremes.