Northern lights in Tromsø in December

Possible, with patience — 21% of December nights offer a window.

The numbers behind it: December nights in Tromsø average about 12 dark hours, geomagnetic activity reaches local viewing levels on 91% of days, and 24% of nights offer at least one reasonably clear hour after dark.

The sky itself is the main obstacle in December — clouds spoil more nights than quiet solar activity does. Build in spare nights, and be ready to drive toward whatever gap the cloud forecast shows.

Numbers come from 1996–2025 Kp records (GFZ Potsdam) and 2015–2024 hourly cloud history for Tromsø itself — the full method is on the methodology page. Travelling soon? Check tonight's live Tromsø forecast.

December against the rest of the year

1. Jan32% of nights
2. Feb27% of nights
3. Mar29% of nights
4. Apr15% of nights
5. Maymidnight sun
6. Junmidnight sun
7. Julmidnight sun
8. Aug3% of nights
9. Sep28% of nights
10. Oct33% of nights
11. Nov26% of nights
12. Dec21% of nights

November in Tromsø · January in Tromsø · full year overview

December elsewhere under the oval

• Yellowknife 47% of nights
• Fairbanks 37% of nights
• Reykjavík 31% of nights
• Kiruna 29% of nights
• Lofoten Islands 27% of nights
• Rovaniemi 15% of nights
• Abisko 13% of nights