When is the best time to see the northern lights in Norway?
Averaged over Tromsø, Alta and Svolvær, January had the highest share of good nights in the record, 30%. From October to March the average stayed between 25% and 30%, so every month of the dark season gives similar odds. The months below are compared hour by hour over 1995 to 2025.
Autumn in Norway: September and October
September is the weakest month of the dark season, at 22% on average. The nights are dark enough by then, but the cloud is at its worst: Tromsø lost 76% of September nights to cloud, more than in any other month of its year.
October recovers to 25%. For Svolvær it was the best month of all, at 33%.
Midwinter in Norway: November to January
The long midwinter nights come with slightly less cloud. Tromsø lost 62% of December nights and 62% of January nights to cloud, against 72% in March. That is why January leads the average.
Clear but quiet nights, when the sky is open and activity stays low, are a little more frequent in midwinter: 10% of Tromsø's December nights, against 4% in March.
Spring in Norway: February to April
February and March keep almost the same average, 27% and 26%, and March brings longer days for everything else a trip is for. April drops to 8%, because the nights stop being dark: 68% of April nights in Tromsø had no dark hour at all.
Summer in Norway
From May to July there was no dark hour at any of the three places in any year of the record, so the aurora cannot be seen there in those months. August brings darkness back first in the south of the region: Svolvær had 3% good August nights, Tromsø none.
For the comparison of the three places month by month, see northern lights in Norway.
Northern lights tours in Norway
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