Home
Weather London
WeatherRadar
RainfallRadar
TemperatureRadar
WindRadar
LightningRadar
Weather News
Editor's Pick
Discover the app
Weather widget
Contact us
Apps
Career
    Home / Editor's Pick /

    Midnight sun: Relentless daylight in the arctic

11:00
25 June 2022

Midnight sun
Relentless daylight in the arctic

Midnight in June in the Khibiny Mountains, Arctic Russia, with a light blue sky
Midnight in June in the Khibiny Mountains, Arctic Russia

Can you imagine never seeing the sun set during the summer months, amidst staggering record-breaking heat?

Norilsk in Arctic Russia tied the all-time maximum temperature record on June 23rd with 32C.

Overnight temperatures also remained in the twenties, terming it a ‘tropical night’, though the night is largely redundant given the constant daylight.

During this time of year, a phenomenon called ‘Midnight Sun’ or 'Polar Day’ occurs in places north of the Arctic circle, when the sun does not set below the horizon.

In Norilsk (69.3 degrees N in latitude), the Midnight Sun this year lasts from May 20th to July 25th.

The further north the location, the longer the Midnight Sun. In Svalbard, Norway (77.8 degrees N), there is no sunset between mid-April to late August, whereas at the North Pole, it lasts for six months.

The opposite is then true during winter, when the sun does not rise above the horizon, and there is no daylight. This is called the Polar Night and begins around the Autumn Equinox in September.

Even in the British Isles, though not quite land of the Midnight Sun, northern extremities of Scotland experience sustained nautical twilight, where the sun never dips more than 12 degrees below the horizon.

This occurs between the end of May and mid-July, so don't miss the opportunity to get out there and snap some shots! You can share them with us via our uploader.

Weather & Radar editorial team
More on the topic
New record June temperature in the UK. Likely to be broken again. . . Thursday, 25 June 2026
Heat map of southern England on 24.06 showing extreme temperatures across Hampshire, with Gosport highlighted at 36.1°C and nearby Portsmouth around 35°C amid deep red heat zones.
Thursday, 25 June 2026

Likely to be broken again

New record June temperature in the UK
50 years since historic 1976 heatwave. Three-month hot spell. . . Tuesday, 23 June 2026
Black-and-white photograph from the 1976 UK heatwave showing a crowded outdoor swimming area packed with people bathing, wading, and sitting along the water's edge during extreme summer heat.
Tuesday, 23 June 2026

Three-month hot spell

50 years since historic 1976 heatwave
Super typhoon near the Philippines. Gusts of up to 155 mph. . . Tuesday, 23 June 2026
WindRadar showing Typhoon MEKKHALA east of Taiwan. A clearly visible eye, surrounded by areas of extremely high wind speeds.
Tuesday, 23 June 2026

Gusts of up to 155 mph

Super typhoon near the Philippines
All weather news
This might also interest you
Seasonal warmth between spring thunder. Your weather - Your shots. . . Sunday, 19 April 2026
Split image showing coastal sunset with layered lenticular clouds over rooftops and palm trees on the left, and a green valley with river and hills under soft daylight on the right.
Sunday, 19 April 2026

Your weather - Your shots

Seasonal warmth between spring thunder
A frozen start to the weekend. Icy conditions. . . Friday, 13 February 2026
UK temperature map dated 14.02 showing widespread subzero values in blue shading, with readings such as −4 in Glasgow, −3 in Dublin, and −2 in London, alongside a blue thermometer icon.
Friday, 13 February 2026

Icy conditions

A frozen start to the weekend
Storm Benjamin impacts the UK. Warnings active. . . Wednesday, 22 October 2025
Split weather map showing UK wind speeds in orange-red shades up to 40 mph on the left and warning levels in green-yellow on the right, with a central wind warning sign.
Wednesday, 22 October 2025

Warnings active

Storm Benjamin impacts the UK
All articles
Weather & Radar

Weather & Radar is also available on

Google Play StoreApp Store

Company

Contact us Privacy Policy Legal info Accessibility statement

Services

Uploader

Socials

facebooktwittertikToklinkList