Northern lights in Rovaniemi in January
Possible, with patience — 18% of January nights offer a window.
The numbers behind it: January nights in Rovaniemi average about 12 dark hours, geomagnetic activity reaches local viewing levels on 60% of days, and 30% of nights offer at least one reasonably clear hour after dark.
The sky itself is the main obstacle in January — 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 Rovaniemi itself — the full method is on the methodology page. Travelling soon? Check tonight's live Rovaniemi forecast.
January against the rest of the year
- Jan18% of nights
- Feb21% of nights
- Mar36% of nights
- Apr24% of nights
- Maymidnight sun
- Junmidnight sun
- Julmidnight sun
- Aug11% of nights
- Sep29% of nights
- Oct24% of nights
- Nov14% of nights
- Dec15% of nights
December in Rovaniemi · February in Rovaniemi · full year overview
January elsewhere under the oval
- Yellowknife 54% of nights
- Fairbanks 53% of nights
- Tromsø 32% of nights
- Reykjavík 32% of nights
- Kiruna 29% of nights
- Lofoten Islands 28% of nights
- Abisko 18% of nights