Northern Lights Forecast for Tromsø

Northern Lights in Tromsø

Tromsø is a city of about 80,000 people at 69.6°N, built mostly on the island of Tromsøya, with the airport on the island about 5 km from the center. The aurora season runs from late August to early April, and the sun stays below the horizon from about 27 November to 15 January. The Gulf Stream keeps January around −3 °C but brings coastal weather that can change within the hour, so a lot of aurora watching here means driving away from cloud.

Prestvannet and Telegrafbukta on Tromsøya

Prestvannet is a small lake on top of the island, 20 to 30 minutes’ walk uphill from the center. A lit ski trail passes it and the city lies all around, so it is never fully dark, but a strong display overhead is easy to see.

Telegrafbukta, the beach at the southern end of the island, is about 35 minutes on foot. It looks east, south and west over the water, but north is back over the city, so a weak, low aurora fades into the town’s glow.

Fjellheisen and Storsteinen above Tromsdalen

Fjellheisen, a cable car running since 1961, climbs from Tromsdalen to Storsteinen, 421 m above the sound, and can close at short notice in strong wind. The lower station is a short walk past the Arctic Cathedral on the mainland side of the Tromsø Bridge. The Sherpa Steps, more than 1,200 stone steps built by Sherpas from Nepal, climb the same slope, but Visit Tromsø advises against them in snow and ice.

Kvaløya, over the Sandnessund Bridge

On clear nights the nearest dark ground is Kvaløya, the island west of Tromsøya. Ersfjord looks out toward the open ocean. At Grøtfjord, stay up on the road rather than going down to the village, where the lights are too bright. Do not walk onto Kattfjordvatnet, however solid the ice looks. Sommarøy, off the west side of Kvaløya, has white sand beaches, and the ferry to Senja leaves from Brensholmen next to it.

People live along these narrow, unlit roads, and Visit Tromsø asks drivers not to stop on blind bends or walk onto private land.

Inland past the Lyngen Alps to Skibotn and Finland

When the coast is under cloud, guides drive inland behind the Lyngen Alps. Skibotn, about 120 km away, gets less than half of Tromsø’s precipitation, and the E8 then climbs to the Finnish border about 160 km from Tromsø, with Kilpisjärvi just beyond. The pull-outs along the E8 toward Finland are far from any lights, and a trip to the border and back takes most of the night.

Whales and herring in the polar night

From early November to the end of January, orcas and humpback whales follow the herring into the fjords north of Tromsø. A whale trip from the city usually takes the whole short day, so it fits before an evening of aurora watching.