Norway in November, how cold?

[3rdGenCunarder]

I've read reports of trips in mid to late winter, but I can't find much about fall. I will be in Norway at the end of October-beginning of November. I'd appreciate any reports from people who have gone to Norway then. It hasn't been below freezing here in 6 months, so I'm having trouble remembering what cold feels like. 

 

Looking up weather/climate data is confusing. One site shows Tromso average low/high temps as -2C/3C. another says -5/-3. Not a huge difference on paper, but to me the freezing point is when I decide about adding warmer layers. I know the answer is to pack my layers and figure it out on the day. But I'd like a better idea of what to expect.

 

And what about when you get out of the cities? I want to do northern lights excursions. How much colder does it get when you're out in an exposed area and probably at higher elevation? 

 

TIA!

[hallasm]

37 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

Looking up weather/climate data is confusing. One site shows Tromso average low/high temps as -2C/3C. another says -5/-3. Not a huge difference on paper,

Not that huge difference - can be more from day to night and colder when you go further north.

I don't think the weather can be formulated more precisely. Varies from day to day. Wind and rainproof outerwear. Hat and mittens. Sweater/Fleece. layer is as you say the answer.

 

37 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

And what about when you get out of the cities? I want to do northern lights excursions. How much colder does it get when you're out in an exposed area and probably at higher elevation? 

Which ship/voyage?
You will see most of the northern lights from the ship. Sights will be announced from the bridge.
Check port times, but I don't think there are that many opportunities to go on Northern Lights excursions in the evening. Most northern lights are around midnight (from 9 pm to 3 am).

Edited October 4, 2023 by hallasm

[TheOldBear]

Last November - QM2 did an overnight in Tromso [6 to 7 November, close to 40 hours in port] with two evenings for Northern Lights excursions.

 

I took the ship's tour on the 7th, and was a bit overdressed [winter boots, long underwear, ski pants, ski hat] and mostly had my parka unzipped & gloves in pockets while outside. Low temps for the evening [about 1 AM] were below freezing - puddles were icing over, so I was happy to have my winter boots on.

A disappointment was the phase of moon - nearly full so too bright to allow for dark adaptation. Cameras could see colors in the aurora, but eyes could not distinguish easily between moonlight clouds and the lights. The guide sometimes asked me to take a photo - and then we would review to see if it was cloud or aurora.

The ship cast off shortly after our tour returned, and started heading south to Trondheim. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

Queen Victoria, we leave Narvik and Tromso at 1 AM or 1:30, so there are tours. I would like to take pictures, which is easier on land than on a moving ship. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

6 minutes ago, TheOldBear said:

Last November - QM2 did an overnight in Tromso [6 to 7 November, close to 40 hours in port] with two evenings for Northern Lights excursions.

 

I took the ship's tour on the 7th, and was a bit overdressed [winter boots, long underwear, ski pants, ski hat] and mostly had my parka unzipped & gloves in pockets while outside. Low temps for the evening [about 1 AM] were below freezing - puddles were icing over, so I was happy to have my winter boots on.

A disappointment was the phase of moon - nearly full so too bright to allow for dark adaptation. Cameras could see colors in the aurora, but eyes could not distinguish easily between moonlight clouds and the lights. The guide sometimes asked me to take a photo - and then we would review to see if it was cloud or aurora.

The ship cast off shortly after our tour returned, and started heading south to Trondheim. 

 

Unfortunately, I booked the full moon week as well. My TA said the same thing you did. One of her customers said his camera saw more than he did, so keep taking shots in hope of seeing the lights that way.

 

I saw them low to the horizon from QM2 docked in Quebec City last fall. Not terribly bright, but they were visible when the captain turned off the lights. I'm hoping to do better farther north. 

 

What camera settings did you use? I plan to bring a tripod.

 

Edited October 4, 2023 by 3rdGenCunarder

[TheOldBear]

55 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Unfortunately, I booked the full moon week as well. My TA said the same thing you did. One of her customers said his camera saw more than he did, so keep taking shots in hope of seeing the lights that way.

 

I saw them low to the horizon from QM2 docked in Quebec City last fall. Not terribly bright, but they were visible when the captain turned off the lights. I'm hoping to do better farther north. 

 

What camera settings did you use? I plan to bring a tripod.

 

There was a thread about this over in the photo section

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/72-photo-camera-discussions/ - need to find it

 

I was using an Olympus EM1 mark 2 body, with a 12-200 travel zoom lens. Photos were taken at 12mm [full frame 24mm] wide, f/3.5 [wide open] and 2 second exposure. [Effective IBIS allows for insanely long exposures if your hand held technique is good]. ISO value was automatic - the camera selected high values [will need to check the exif info].

 

A few folks had tripods, most were just using cell phone cameras. I think many of the independent tours will include a tripod on request. For me, I think a tripod would only have been of use if I wanted star trails, or was planning on the live composite long exposure feature.

[jrmende63]

oh dear...I have booked next year during the full moon too....But it is the only sailing of Queen Anne to Arctic circle in October.

 

Edited October 4, 2023 by jrmende63

[3rdGenCunarder]

32 minutes ago, TheOldBear said:

There was a thread about this over in the photo section

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/72-photo-camera-discussions/ - need to find it

 

I was using an Olympus EM1 mark 2 body, with a 12-200 travel zoom lens. Photos were taken at 12mm [full frame 24mm] wide, f/3.5 [wide open] and 2 second exposure. [Effective IBIS allows for insanely long exposures if your hand held technique is good]. ISO value was automatic - the camera selected high values [will need to check the exif info].

 

A few folks had tripods, most were just using cell phone cameras. I think many of the independent tours will include a tripod on request. For me, I think a tripod would only have been of use if I wanted star trails, or was planning on the live composite long exposure feature.

 

Thanks, I will look for that discussion. Your settings look doable for my camera, which is a Leica bridge camera--I don't travel with multiple lenses anymore, but I do have a lightweight tripod. Wide  angle opens to 2.8. I will probably experiment with the tripod and hand held shots with stabilization. The camera also has a special hand-held night shot function where it takes 3 or 4 shots in a burst and assembles the best pixels it can find. Sometimes those don't show much until I brighten them on the computer. 

 

It's kind of like hunting. You may not bag anything, but part of the fun is trying.

 

My cell doesn't have a great camera, although I'll try it to see what happens. 

[kaisatsu]

November temperatures vary hugely across the country. If you’re asking specifically about Tromsø, I would plan for below freezing if that’s your cut-off point. Generally we wear layers as wind, sun, and activity level can create huge variations in the perceived temperature. A windproof/waterproof shell is always essential in Norway, and then just adjust the insulating layers underneath.

 

If you are not staying in port fully overnight, look closely when booking light-chasing tours. If the sky is overcast, some tours may travel near or beyond the Finnish border, and some may not return until the early hours of the morning.

[TheOldBear]

1 hour ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Thanks, I will look for that discussion. Your settings look doable for my camera, which is a Leica bridge camera--I don't travel with multiple lenses anymore, but I do have a lightweight tripod. Wide  angle opens to 2.8. I will probably experiment with the tripod and hand held shots with stabilization. The camera also has a special hand-held night shot function where it takes 3 or 4 shots in a burst and assembles the best pixels it can find. Sometimes those don't show much until I brighten them on the computer. 

 

It's kind of like hunting. You may not bag anything, but part of the fun is trying.

 

My cell doesn't have a great camera, although I'll try it to see what happens. 

Leica bridge camera? VLux 3? You may want to check over in dpreview 'panasonic compact camera' forum for anyone using a FZ1000 and aurora photography.

My backup camera [FZ50/VLux 1] stayed back on the ship - these days useful only for daylight or flash photos [no useful ISO over 400]

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 hour ago, TheOldBear said:

Leica bridge camera? VLux 3? You may want to check over in dpreview 'panasonic compact camera' forum for anyone using a FZ1000 and aurora photography.

My backup camera [FZ50/VLux 1] stayed back on the ship - these days useful only for daylight or flash photos [no useful ISO over 400]

 

It's a typ 114, five years old. It has a lot of pictures on the "odometer," but it's still working well. I've flirted with buying the 5 for this trip, but it isn't terribly different, and that's a lot of money I could spend on excursions. It's actually my second typ 114. The first one was not quite 2 years old when it went swimming with me when I fell of a floatplane dock in Alaska! Saved the memory card, so I didn't lose the pictures from the flight, but I spent the rest of the cruise borrowing DH's little point-and-shoot. 

 

I think I read the 114/5 comparison on dpreview. I will check the site for aurora photo hints. 

 

@kaisatsu, I love Norway, so please don't take it the wrong way when I say I don't want to be "stuck" there, unable to catch up with the ship. So I'm taking ship's tours. Not as good as the private ones that go by van. They say they will get you back on time, but I won't enjoy the trip if I'm constantly checking my watch and worrying about getting to the port and seeing nothing but water.

 

My freezing point threshold goes back to my riding days when I would wear the silk liners under breeches and gloves on cold days. 

[kaisatsu]

On 10/4/2023 at 10:56 PM, 3rdGenCunarder said:

please don't take it the wrong way when I say I don't want to be "stuck" there, unable to catch up with the ship. So I'm taking ship's tours

Haha! I completely understand! Getting stuck in even your favorite places is stressful. I got stranded in my personal paradise when the borders started closing for COVID, and it was panic-inducing to scramble to find a way home amid all the uncertainty.

 

Thankfully I’ve yet to miss the ship (knock on wood) but we did have to pier run once when too many things went wrong!