Arctic Winter in Lapland

Polar night – kaamos – is the time period when the sun does not rise above the horizon and soft and gentle darkness covers the Arctic areas. In Rovaniemi, the actual kaamos will last two days on 21.-22. December. The long lasting darkness covers the day time for several months at winter time and the stars in the sky can be admired even at the daytime with a clear sky.

After the extraordinary polar nights, the darkness starts to retreat for the increasing sun light. After the 22 of December, the sunlight starts slowly increase every day and during mid February guests can enjoy winter activities in daylight and the starry sky at night. Take the snowshes on your feet and get into the forest around the hotel, you might even need sunglasses since the snow makes the day feel even brighter.

In average, the permanent snow covers the ground by the end of November, but naturally there are some variety between the years. April is considered still as a snowy month, but then the shining sun starts to warm and melt the snow during the day time and the amount of snow decreases the closer the May get. Many times there might still be some snow in beginning of May as well.

Within a year temperatures in Lapland might vary over 60 Celsius degrees. The average winter temperatures are in December – 11 °C, January -13 °C, February -12 °C and in March -8 °C. During January the daily temperatures might stay between -30 ° C — -15 °C. Remember to dress in layers, natural materials against the skin – like merino wool – are warmly recommended. Woollen socks and shirts under the overalls keep you warm when outside during the frosties frost.