page_title: Northern Norway
section_title: Precipitation
hierarchical_section_title: Northern Norway / Climate / Precipitation
caption_attribution_description: Sørbotn in the end of Ramfjorden near Tromsø
context_page_description: Northern Norway is a geographical region of Norway, consisting of the two northernmost counties Nordland and Troms og Finnmark, in total about 35% of the Norwegian mainland. Some of the largest towns in Northern Norway are Mo i Rana, Bodø, Narvik, Harstad, Tromsø and Alta. Northern Norway is often described as the land of the midnight sun and the land of the northern lights. Further north, halfway to the North Pole, is the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, traditionally not regarded as part of Northern Norway.
  The region is multi-cultural, housing not just Norwegians but also the indigenous Sami people, Norwegian Finns and Russian populations. The Norwegian language dominates in most of the area; Sami speakers are mainly found inland and in some of the fjord areas of Nordland, Troms and particularly Finnmark – though ethnic Sámi who do not speak the language are found more or less everywhere in the region. Finnish is spoken in only a few communities in the east of Finnmark.
context_section_description: Precipitation occur in all seasons, usually as snow in winter, although often as rain on the Nordland coast. Snow accumulation in the mountains can exceed 3 metres (9.8 ft), and this abundance of snow is the reason for the numerous glaciers – more than 500, mostly in Nordland and Troms.
  Autumn tend to be the wettest season in most areas, often receiving more than twice as much precipitation as does spring and early summer. Only the interior areas of Finnmark – like Karasjok – tend to be wettest in summer. The areas with the least precipitation are some inland valleys, like Dividalen in Målselv with only 282 millimetres (11.1 in) precip/year, and upper Saltdal and Skibotn with about the same. Inland Finnmark is the only large area with less than 450 millimetres (18 in) precipitation/year. The wettest areas are generally the Helgeland region; Lurøy on the west coast of Saltfjell averages 2,900 millimetres (110 in)/year.
caption: The main fjords remain ice-free all winter, but some sheltered fjord branches – like Ramfjord in Tromsø pictured here – freeze over in winter, allowing ice fishing.
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