Greenland

Climate: Greenland has an Arctic climate, but owing to the size of the country there are great variations in the weather from region to region. Winters can be severe and the summers relatively mild, especially in regins which are surrounded by hilld and sheltered from the prevailing winds. Precipitation, mostly snow, is moderately heavy around the coast. The north of the country, and much of the interior, have real Arctic conditions, with the temperature only rising above freezing for short periods in the summer.


Note: Weather Conditions in all parts of the country can become hazardous when there is a combination of a low temperature and a strong wind. Local advice concerning weather conditions should be followed very carefully.

For two to three months in summer there is continuous daylight in Greenland, the so-called midnight sun. During summer the nights are bright throughout Iceland and in June the sun in the north never fully goes down. The winter darkness (three to four hours' daylight) lasts from about mid-November until the end of January. Another special Atmosferic Phenomena is Aurora Borealis, the so-called northern lights. The northern lights can mostly be seen in the autumn and winter months, when the nights are longer.


Required clothing:
Required clothing: Good-quality windproof and waterproof clothes, warm jerseys and moulded sole shoes at all times of the year; also some slightly thinner clothes - it is important to be able to change clothing during a day's climbing as temperatures can vary greatly during one day. Sunglasses and protective sun lotion are strongly advised. In July and August, mosquitoes are rather annoying, especially inside the fjords and so a mosquito net can prove indispensible. Extra warm clothes are necessary for those contemplating dog-sledge expeditions. Extra clothes are not always available for hire in Greenland


Koeppen-Geiger classification:
The climate of Greenland can be classified as E Climate; an Ice climate with the warmest month under 10°C.


counter image