Climate of the Nordic countries

Seasonal conditions

Winter

In Denmark, January temperatures average between −2 °C (28 °F) and 4 °C (39 °F). Denmark's coldest month, however, is February, when the mean temperature is 0 °C (32 °F). The number of hours of sunlight per day does increase during the month of February for Denmark, where they get seven to eight hours a day.

Iceland winters are generally mild considering how high its latitude is. The coastal lowlands of Iceland have average January temperatures of about 0 °C (32 °F), while the highlands of central Iceland generally stay below −10 °C (14 °F). The lowest winter temperatures in Iceland are usually somewhere between −25 °C (−13 °F) and −30 °C (−22 °F), although the lowest temperature ever recorded on Iceland was −39.7 °C (−39 °F).

In Norway, the coastal regions have mild winters, while further inland winter is much colder. During midwinter, southern areas of Norway only get five to six hours of sunlight a day, while the north gets little to none. In January, the average temperature in Norway is somewhere in between −6 °C (21 °F) and 3 °C (37 °F). Like neighboring Norway, Finland averages −6 °C (21 °F) to 1 °C (34 °F) in the month of January.

Finnish areas north of the Arctic Circle rarely see the sun rise, due to the natural phenomenon of the polar night. In January and February, temperatures in this area can drop to −15 °C (5 °F). In February, Northern Finland sees about four to six hours of daylight a day.

Spring

In Iceland, spring brings warmer and milder temperatures. In the month of May, the average temperature is somewhere between 4 °C (39 °F) and 10 °C (50 °F).

Summer

Denmark's warmest month is July, when the mean temperature is 17 °C (63 °F). In Iceland, occasionally thunderstorms occur in the south in late summertime, due to warm air being deflected to northern latitudes from warm air masses in other parts of Europe. Also, cold air originating from Canada, warms rapidly over the ocean, forming thunderclouds. Thunderstorms, however, are very rare in Iceland, and there are less than five of them per year. In June, Iceland's average daily temperatures range from 8 °C (46 °F) to 16 °C (61 °F). Summer conditions vary in Norway depending on location. The Norwegian coast has cooler summers than areas further inland. Due to its northern location, there is almost no darkness in June and July in the north, reaching as far south as Trondheim.

In summer, the average temperature in the Northern areas are somewhere between 8 °C (46 °F) and 16 °C (61 °F), while further South it is usually 13 °C (55 °F) to 22 °C (72 °F). In Finland, summers experience more rainfall than other seasons. Finland areas north of the Arctic Circle rarely see the sun set during the months of June and July, due to the natural phenomenon Midnight sun. Northern parts of Finland have summer temperatures in the 8 °C (46 °F) to 16 °C (61 °F) range, while further south, the temperature is closer to 13 °C (55 °F) and 23 °C (73 °F). During summer in Greenland, ice sheets breaking up trigger what is known as "glacial motion" or "glacial earthquakes".