Longyearbyen facts for kids
Longyearbyen is the largest settlement and the administrative centre of Svalbard, Norway. As of 2013, the town had a population of 2,043.
Climate
Because Longyearbyen is quite far north, it has very long daylight hours during the summer, and very short daylight hours in the winter. It has midnight sun between 19 April and 25 August. Longyearbyen has polar night between 27 October and 15 February. It is milder than other places at the same latitude, due to warming from the sea. This means that surprisingly high temperatures can occur. For example, Longyearbyen reached almost into double figures Celsius on 30 January 1984. The warmest recorded temperature was as high as 25 °C (77 °F) on 17 July 1977. The coldest temperature was a very cold −46.3 °C (−51.3 °F) on 4 March 1986. Longyearbyen is badly affected by global warming, due to its Arctic position. On 1 August 2015, a record August temperature of 23.6 °C (74.5 °F) was recorded.
| Climate data for Longyearbyen (1961–1990) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 9.7 (49.5) |
7.0 (44.6) |
6.3 (43.3) |
7.5 (45.5) |
10.6 (51.1) |
15.7 (60.3) |
21.7 (71.1) |
18.1 (64.6) |
15.2 (59.4) |
8.9 (48.0) |
9.2 (48.6) |
8.7 (47.7) |
21.7 (71.1) |
| Average high °C (°F) | −13.0 (8.6) |
−13.0 (8.6) |
−13.0 (8.6) |
−9.0 (15.8) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
3.0 (37.4) |
7.0 (44.6) |
6.0 (42.8) |
1.0 (33.8) |
−4.0 (24.8) |
−8.0 (17.6) |
−11.0 (12.2) |
−4.7 (23.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −16.5 (2.3) |
−17.0 (1.4) |
−16.5 (2.3) |
−12.5 (9.5) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
1.0 (33.8) |
5.0 (41.0) |
4.0 (39.2) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
−6.5 (20.3) |
−11.0 (12.2) |
−14.5 (5.9) |
−7.5 (18.4) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −20.0 (−4.0) |
−21.0 (−5.8) |
−20.0 (−4.0) |
−16.0 (3.2) |
−7.0 (19.4) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
3.0 (37.4) |
2.0 (35.6) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
−9.0 (15.8) |
−14.0 (6.8) |
−18.0 (−0.4) |
−10.3 (13.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −38.8 (−37.8) |
−43.7 (−46.7) |
−46.3 (−51.3) |
−39.1 (−38.4) |
−21.7 (−7.1) |
−8.4 (16.9) |
0.2 (32.4) |
−3.9 (25.0) |
−12.6 (9.3) |
−20.8 (−5.4) |
−33.2 (−27.8) |
−35.6 (−32.1) |
−46.3 (−51.3) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 22.0 (0.87) |
28.0 (1.10) |
29.0 (1.14) |
16.0 (0.63) |
13.0 (0.51) |
18.0 (0.71) |
24.0 (0.94) |
30.0 (1.18) |
25.0 (0.98) |
19.0 (0.75) |
22.0 (0.87) |
25.0 (0.98) |
271 (10.66) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 1 mm) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 18 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 86 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 1 cm) | 21 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 176 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 0.0 | 0.0 | 77.5 | 228.0 | 254.2 | 165.0 | 155.0 | 133.3 | 75.0 | 12.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1,102 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 0.0 | 0.0 | 22.1 | 36.4 | 34.2 | 22.9 | 20.8 | 18.7 | 17.4 | 6.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 25 |
| Average ultraviolet index | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.75 |
| Source 1: nordicvisitor.com | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: UNIS (extremes only) (sun only) and Weather Atlas (UV index) | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Svalbard Airport (2000-2017) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 7.7 (45.9) |
7.0 (44.6) |
5.9 (42.6) |
7.5 (45.5) |
9.9 (49.8) |
15.7 (60.3) |
18.5 (65.3) |
17.3 (63.1) |
13.3 (55.9) |
10.1 (50.2) |
6.6 (43.9) |
8.7 (47.7) |
18.5 (65.3) |
| Mean maximum °C (°F) | 3.7 (38.7) |
3.1 (37.6) |
1.6 (34.9) |
3.4 (38.1) |
5.4 (41.7) |
10.3 (50.5) |
14.3 (57.7) |
13.5 (56.3) |
10.0 (50.0) |
6.0 (42.8) |
4.3 (39.7) |
3.6 (38.5) |
14.3 (57.7) |
| Average high °C (°F) | −5.8 (21.6) |
−6.3 (20.7) |
−9.0 (15.8) |
−5.5 (22.1) |
0.2 (32.4) |
5.8 (42.4) |
9.4 (48.9) |
8.4 (47.1) |
4.4 (39.9) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −9.1 (15.6) |
−9.8 (14.4) |
−12.2 (10.0) |
−8.4 (16.9) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
3.9 (39.0) |
7.2 (45.0) |
6.3 (43.3) |
2.4 (36.3) |
−2.8 (27.0) |
−6.0 (21.2) |
−8.2 (17.2) |
−3.2 (26.2) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −12.3 (9.9) |
−13.0 (8.6) |
−15.5 (4.1) |
−11.5 (11.3) |
−3.4 (25.9) |
2.5 (36.5) |
5.6 (42.1) |
4.7 (40.5) |
0.6 (33.1) |
−5.1 (22.8) |
−8.7 (16.3) |
−11.0 (12.2) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
| Mean minimum °C (°F) | −22.3 (−8.1) |
−22.2 (−8.0) |
−26.6 (−15.9) |
−21.7 (−7.1) |
−10.6 (12.9) |
−0.8 (30.6) |
2.6 (36.7) |
0.7 (33.3) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
−12.9 (8.8) |
−17 (1) |
−19.9 (−3.8) |
−26.6 (−15.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −32.0 (−25.6) |
−31.4 (−24.5) |
−31.8 (−25.2) |
−29.3 (−20.7) |
−14.9 (5.2) |
−4.0 (24.8) |
−0.7 (30.7) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
−10.1 (13.8) |
−18.4 (−1.1) |
−22.9 (−9.2) |
−28.3 (−18.9) |
−32.0 (−25.6) |
| Source: eklima | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Longyearbyen (2000–2012) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 13.3 (0.52) |
17.9 (0.70) |
11.2 (0.44) |
9.0 (0.35) |
6.3 (0.25) |
12.9 (0.51) |
21.7 (0.85) |
18.6 (0.73) |
16.8 (0.66) |
10.4 (0.41) |
14.3 (0.56) |
24.4 (0.96) |
176.8 (6.94) |
| Average rainy days | 11 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 147 |
| Source: World Weather Online | |||||||||||||
Images for kids
-
Longyear City in 1908
-
Summer 1925 at Longyearbyen.
-
Mine 2b was mined from 1938 to 1969 and today it is a heritage site.
-
The old power station, one of a handful of buildings that survived the Second World War, and the cable centre
-
University Centre in Svalbard
-
View of the central parts of Longyearbyen from Platåberget. The body of water is Adventfjorden while the valley up to the right is Adventdalen.
-
Longyearbyen seen from the top of the hill
-
Tourists visit the main street, with a shopping mall closest and the town hall further down
-
Old coal filling station. Drawing by Max Presnyakov, 2014.
-
The EISCAT radar
-
Longyearbyen School
-
Until 1987, a series of aerial tramways were used to haul coal from the mines to the port
-
University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS)
-
Road sign: Beware of snowmobiles
-
Svalbard Airport, Longyearbyen
-
Outskirts of Longyearbyen
-
Longyearbyen Harbour (Port Longyear)
-
Longyearbyen city centre, with Hjortfjellet in background
-
Longyearbyen during polar night
-
Rows of multicolored homes, Longyearbyen
-
From the centre of Longyearbyen
-
Parts of inner town, seen from Plateau Mountain
-
Aurora borealis, Longyearbyen
-
Sjøområdet harbour area of Longyearbyen
-
Bulk Carrier Sider King at Adventfjorden
-
Nybyen near Longyearbyen
-
Longyearbyen town
-
Longyearbyen town
-
Longyearbyen town
-
Mailbox in "the town of Santa Claus"
-
Longyearbyen town
-
Longyearbyen town
-
Longyearbyen town
-
Longyearbyen town
-
Art installation by Norwegian Solveig Egeland
-
Longyearbyen
-
Longyearbyen town
-
Longyearbyen town
_2003.jpg)
See also
In Spanish: Longyearbyen para niños
