The weather in Lofoten can change quickly, and with coastal climate, strong winds, steep mountains, etc. it is difficult to predict the weather more than a day or two in advance. Large trends, like a heatwave or large storm, can be quite reliably predicted, but specific forecasts like “Will there be rain showers in location X tomorrow?” is often not possible.
Lofoten has no typical “rainy season” or “dry season”“, and there is no typical “weather pattern” for a normal day. For example: September may be as warm as July, with temperatures above 20°C, and it may also be 5°C, strong winds and sideways rain. January can have both -10°C and +10°C, but winter temperatures are most often between 0 and -5°C.
Don’t expect to be able to plan your upcoming vacation based on the weather forecast weeks or even months in advance. Yr does have a 21-day forecast, but you have to be ready for almost anything.
Remember that Lofoten is above the Arctic Circle, as far north as southern Greenland and Alaska, and further north than Iceland.
The best strategy for experiencing good weather is simply to stay longer. Since the weather changes frequently, you are more likely to have some days with good weather if you have more time. We recommend at least a week. Also, remember the Norwegian saying: “There is no bad weather, only bad clothing”.
Weather forecasts for Lofoten
Yr.no is the official, public weather service in Norway -a joint service from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. Yr has the best data, weather models and the best forecasts. The Yr app is great too.
Understand how to interpret the forecast: Weather forecast and uncertainty. The other Yr help pages are also very good.
This is the forecast for Lillevik for the next days from Yr:
The graph below shows the temperatures during 2019. See historical data at Yr.
See the Webcam page for live photos, and one photo from each day in 2024 to get an impression of the changing seasons.
Local variations, web cameras, travel
Some good information: Seasons in Lofoten and a good overview of Lofoten weather. See Yr’s statistics for historical data – here’s Svolvær as an example, and Leknes too.
There are significant local variations in Lofoten. One area may be sunny, while another may have rain. When there is sea fog on the north or south side of the islands, it can be sunny and 10°C warmer on the opposite side. When it’s cloudy/foggy at sea level, it may be clear just 300 meters higher up.
Some areas with tall mountains have more cloud coverage than flatter areas without mountains. Gimsøy, where Lillevik is located, is one example: We often see clouds across the sea where there are 7-800 meter tall mountains, but there are no clouds near our house, since there are no tall mountains to “hold” the clouds. This time-lapse shows it well:
Check the web cameras on Yr for current conditions: Search for a place, then click “Other conditions” for the web cameras – and also northern lights forecast, UV radiation, etc. Here’s the other conditions info for Lillevik.
For the next 90 minutes Yr also has an animated radar map that shows incoming rain. See the map for Svolvær, showing rain clouds for the next 90 minutes. This is impressively accurate.
For travel: The Widerøe flights from Bodø to Svolvær are generally more reliable than the ferries from Bodø. The Bognes-Lødingen ferry is rarely cancelled. Flights to Svolvær (and Leknes) can get cancelled because of fog or low clouds, but not “bad weather” in general.
We have a webcam at Gimsøy, which has taken photos every 10 minutes since 2015. You can check the archive and see what the weather has been like for the last 10+ years, and also for every day in entire months, and even years.
