The Perfect Setting
Tromsø lies wedged between rugged mountains and the extensive mountain plateaus of Lapland. It’s a perfect setting for observing the Northern Lights.
F
rom beyond the large islands that surround Tromsø, polar storms come in off the high seas. Coastal weather patterns can change rapidly, varying from a snowstorm to a cloud-free sky, overcast and calm conditions to high winds and raging storms. Once inside the fjords, however, the weather becomes calmer and drier.
STABLE WEATHER
Beyond Tromsø and the innermost
REAL
Stardust
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fjords, we find the mountain plateaus, which stretch far and wide and as far as Siberia. Here, the weather remains stable over long periods. With a short distance into the fjords as well as to the more unstable weather on the coast, if you have Tromsø as your base you will almost always be able to see the Northern Lights. The best places and conditions are normally found deep in the fjords, but if it clouds over then it’s just a quick change of location with a short trip towards the coast. Tromsø lies on the exact latitude that statistically is perfect for observing the Northern Lights.
If, for example, you were on the same longitude as Finland, which lies further south, you would have to travel to the northernmost part of Finnmark, the northernmost county of Norway, to see the lights.
CHANGABLE WEATHER
The Northern Lights appear each and every night, but solar activity and atmospheric conditions determine whether or not they are visible to the naked eye. Changeable, local conditions within the same region provide better opportunities to see the Northern Lights. If there is something the locals in