Cold, snowy and dark. Clear frosty nights can be spectacular, and the Christmas crowds are gone.
Darkness = sun more than 10° below the horizon, calculated for the 15th. Weather: averages for 2016–2025 from Open-Meteo historical weather data (ERA5).
January is one of the coldest months in Lapland. Clear nights are often the coldest ones – but they are also the nights when the aurora shows best against the snow.
The polar night ends in the far north around the middle of the month, but the nights are still long everywhere. After the Christmas holidays it is quieter and better value.
Tip: Real winter gear is essential: thermal base layers, a down jacket, warm boots and mittens.
On the night itself, follow the live aurora forecast, the cloud cover maps and the live cameras.
Book Lapland’s tours from Rovaniemi follow the clouds every night – with an aurora guarantee and professional photos.
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👑 Private ExperienceYes. In mid-January Rovaniemi has about 15 hours of darkness a night and Inari about 16 hours, which is plenty of time for the aurora. Clear skies are the key – check the live forecast before heading out.
Over 2016–2025 the average temperature in January was about −10 °C in Rovaniemi and −10 °C in Inari, with average daily lows around −13 °C and −13 °C. Clear nights are usually colder than average.
Average cloud cover in January is around 84 % in Rovaniemi and 81 % in Inari. About 10 % of days in Rovaniemi and 10 % in Inari were mostly clear (under 50 % cloud) on average.
Cold, snowy and dark. Clear frosty nights can be spectacular, and the Christmas crowds are gone. Guided tours help most on cloudy nights, when the guides can drive to clearer skies.