Weather
-8 °C now, wind 4 m/s, gusts 7, dry. 03:00 -9, 06:00 -11, 09:00 -11
Flights
14:15 SK4490 from Oslo, on time
15:00 SK4491 to Oslo, on time
15:30 DY390 from Oslo, on time
16:15 DY391 to Oslo, on time
Ships
Booked: Amalia, bulk carrier, tomorrow 12:00 to 20 November, 16:00.
In Isfjorden at 23:53, 3 ships: Elling Carlsen, pilot, at the quay in Longyearbyen, 15 November 23:52; Polarsyssel, law enforcement, at the quay in Longyearbyen, 15 November 23:52; Longyear 2, port tender, under way in Adventfjorden, 1 kn, 15 November 23:50.
Drinking water Longyearbyen lokalstyre advises against drinking tap water: sulfate and nickel are above the limits. Free drinking water at the Svalbard Store, in your own container. Longyearbyen lokalstyre, 13 May 2026, checked 27 October.
Monday 16 November 2026No. 22Updated 00:02
Polar night, day 21 of 112. The sun returns 16 February.
Several of Store Norske's homes in Longyearbyen have been vacated because their foundations have failed, chief executive Rune Midtgaard said in a report the magazine Forsvarets forum published on Saturday 14 November.
Forsvarets forum, 14 November, 06:22
Numbered discs: the day's listed events.
Monday 16 November
Ongoing
Kåre Tveter: An Artist's Gaze on Svalbard (exhibition)
Daily, in opening hours. Exhibition. Nordover kunstsenter og kino. in person. Open daily in opening hours.
Short film Cold Coasts: A Brief History of Svalbard Art & Culture
Daily, in opening hours. Exhibition. Nordover kunstsenter og kino. Ticket included in the admission price, or can be bought separately.
Lecture. Møysalen, UNIS. in person only, in Norwegian.
Talk: A Tveter researcher on the art at Nordover
Lecture. Nordover. Limited places, first come first served; in Norwegian. Register by Tickets are bought through the link on the Nordover calendar page. Tickets are bought through the link on the Nordover calendar page.
Public meeting. Newtontoppen, 3rd floor, Næringsbygget.
Knitting cinema: Reisen til Piemonte
Culture. Nordover kunstsenter og kino.
No news on 16 November or 15 November.
Earlier, from 13 November
Svalbard Museum moves place of early whaling photo
Whaling has a long tradition on Svalbard, ever since the early 1600s. When whaling was banned along the coast of Northern Norway in 1904, many companies moved their operations to Svalbard and Bjørnøya, where whaling saw a new, brief upswing. The expansion also went to Antarctica. The new steamship technology and Svend Foyn's development of the grenade harpoon made whaling excessively efficient, and enormous inroads were made into the world's whale stocks. In the picture we see four slaughtered whales lying in the water surface next to two vessels. The picture is from 1911 and was taken at the old whaling station Green Harbour (Ankerhamna) in Grønfjorden during the most intense whaling period in Svalbard's modern history. Photo: Sigurd Westby / Svalbard museum Sources: Arlov, Thor Bjørn. ''Svalbards historie''. Publ. Tapir akademisk forl.. Trondheim. 2003; Basberg, Bjørn Lorens; Tønnessen, Johan N.; Hallenstvedt, Abraham: hvalfangst in Store norske leksikon at snl.no. Retrieved 23. ok
Svalbard Museum on Facebook, 14 November, 10:00
Defence minister expects competition for Arctic to grow
Shorter trade routes, valuable resources and Russian submarines mark Svalbard as the great powers fight for influence in the Arctic.
Forsvarets forum, 14 November, 06:21
Guide approval portal opens Monday at the earliest
The portal for guide approval applications for experienced guides will open no earlier than Monday, 16 November.
Governor of Svalbard, 13 November, 14:24
Government delays Svalbard guide approval requirement
The Government is postponing the introduction of the requirement for approved Svalbard guides. This is to ensure that tourism and field operations can continue while the approval scheme is being finalised.
Government of Norway, 13 November, 11:30
Sysselmesteren (the Governor of Svalbard)
Portal for transitional scheme to open Monday at the earliest
13 November. Governor of Svalbard
Transitional scheme for guide approval postponed
13 November. Governor of Svalbard
Official email is down
13 November. Governor of Svalbard
From 13 November, experienced guides may apply to become approved Svalbard guides
5 November. Governor of Svalbard
Out of Town & the Seed Vault, Sightseeing by Car
Dog Sledding in the Polar Night
Ice Cave Adventure
Sleddog tour
A historic walk in Adventdalen, Hurtigruten Svalbard
Guided morning tour around Longyearbyen and surroundings
Guided morning tour around Longyearbyen and surroundings - concludes over lunch
Glacier hike with ice cave visit, Snowfox Travel
Sarkofagen - on foot in the realm of the glaciers
Northern Lights ATV Adventure
Sleigh ride by snowmobile
Coal Mine 3 Visit
Polar night dog sledding
Icecave Adventure
Visit the Cabelway Central - Guided tour
ATV Safari in The Polar Night
Longyearbyen in a nutshell - sightseeing with the local expert
Guided tour at Svalbard Museum
Longyearbyen Sightseeing
Longyearbyen Sightseeing in Chinese
Hiorthhamn: Hike to the Frozen Fjord
Husky Slider - Dog Sledding Tour
Sleddog tour
Guided afternoon tour around Longyearbyen and surroundings
Guided afternoon tour around Longyearbyen and surroundings - concludes over dinner
Northern Lights ATV Adventure
ATV Safari in The Polar Night
Polar night dog sledding
Arctic Float
Platåfjellet - Longyearbyen with a view
Northern Lights Chase by car
Seedvault Sight & Hike
Arctic Northern Lights Safari - Evening tour sleigh tour
The exclusive Northern Light chase
Beertasting at Svalbard Brewery
Northern Light chase
Northern Lights Chase by car
Departures, prices and places from each operator's own booking system; where an operator has none, from the Visit Svalbard booking system.
From the timeline, War and rebuilding
1943
In September 1943 the Germans carried out a large raid on Svalbard with a fleet led by the battleships Tirpitz and Scharnhorst. Barentsburg, Longyearbyen and Grumantbyen were nearly completely razed.
History Store norske leksikon
Svalbard 
