Winter in Lofoten
To see the Lofoten Islands during winter in all its glory is a truly amazing experience with its rugged mountains and the deep fjords covered in a blanket of snow!
We here at Reinefjorden Sjøhus think, due to the ever changing weather and long nights, it is very important to have a warm and comfortable place with a beautiful view to sit back and relax. This is why we have big windows facing the fjord in most of our units! From the comfort of your livingroom, you can enjoy the magical scenery and experience the show put on by mother nature over Reinefjorden. This is truly a beautiful, uniqe and powerful experience!
Lofoten is located 170 km above the arctic circle. But although the islands are located this far north it has a much milder climate than other parts of the world at the same latitude. This is all due to the warm Gulf Stream that passes outside the archipelago in the Norwegian sea. With the mild costal climate the temperatures can vary alot and beacuse of this the snow often comes and goes many times during the winter months. As always when travelling to northern Norway you need to keep the weather in mind when planing your trip. This is even more important when you travel during the winter. Make sure to pack warm good clothes and if you are nervous about driving in winter, please press here to read the article about 'Winter driving in Lofoten'.
Due to the archipelagos high latitude the nights begin to grow longer in the autumn until the sun does not rise above the horizon in December. The sun will rise again in the begining of January and the days begin to grow longer everyday. The darkest time of the year is called the Polar Night. Even though the sun does not rise during the Polar Night you will still have some hours of twilight. It is during these hours of twilight you can experience the beautiful so called 'Blue Hour' on a clear day. Press here to read more about 'The long nights of Lofoten'.
The best thing about the nights being long is that you now have greater chances to see the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis). Unfortunately there is no switch to turn on the Northern Lights. Seeing them primarily depends on a combination of four main elements: darkness, clear skies, northern latitude, and solar activity. Winter in Lofoten already covers two of these elements: darkness and northern latitude. Clear skies and solar activity are more or less left up to chance. To learn more about the Northern Lights press here.
