Go well prepared. Below you will find the live forecast for both ports and for the crossing itself. Further down we explain what the numbers mean on board: how rough the Skagerrak gets in each season, which ferry copes best with waves and what happens when a sailing is cancelled.
Weather forecast in the ports
Weather forecast Hirtshals
Check the weather forecast for the port of Hirtshals (Denmark) below.
Weather forecast Kristiansand
View the current weather forecast in the port of Kristiansand (Norway) below.
Weather forecast during the crossing
The weather also matters during the crossing. Dress for the conditions, and consider rebooking if high waves are forecast. How much you notice the sea also depends on the ferry and how long the crossing takes.
Waves and wind on the Skagerrak
The forecast below shows wave height, wind and gusts for the Hirtshals–Kristiansand ferry route.
Tip: also check the current webcam images.
How to read the wave and wind forecast
The wave height in a forecast is the significant wave height: the average of the highest third of the waves. Individual waves can be clearly higher, occasionally almost twice that figure. As a rough guide for this route:
| Wave height | What you notice on board |
|---|---|
| Under 1 m | Calm. You hardly feel the sea on any of the ships. |
| 1 to 2 m | Noticeable. The ship moves, most of all the catamaran. Fine for most people. |
| 2 to 3 m | Rough. If you get seasick easily, take precautions or choose one of the large ships. |
| Over 3 m | Very rough. Uncomfortable for most passengers. Delays or cancellations become possible. |
This is a rule of thumb, not an operator limit. The captain decides per sailing, and the wind direction and the conditions at the harbour entrance of Hirtshals count as well.
For wind, keep an eye on the gusts. In recent years sailings on this route were typically cancelled when gusts of 20 to 25 m/s or more (strong gale to storm force) were forecast for the Skagerrak or for Hirtshals. Westerly and south-westerly winds build the highest seas, because the waves roll in from the open North Sea.
What weather to expect, season by season
The Skagerrak is open to the North Sea in the west, which makes this an exposed crossing. The difference between summer and winter is large:
| Season | Air temperature | Sea temperature | At sea |
|---|---|---|---|
| ❄️ Winter Dec to Feb | Hirtshals 2 to 4 °C Kristiansand 0 to 1 °C | 5 to 7 °C | Roughest period. Average waves of 1.5 to 2 m in windy months, and most storm cancellations. |
| 🌱 Spring Mar to May | 3 to 11 °C in both ports | 4 to 11 °C | Calming down, but cold on deck. The sea is at its coldest in March. |
| ☀️ Summer Jun to Aug | 14 to 17 °C in both ports | 14 to 18 °C | Calmest period, with average waves usually below 1 m. Summer storms are rare but do happen. |
| 🍂 Autumn Sep to Nov | Hirtshals 6 to 14 °C Kristiansand 4 to 13 °C | 10 to 16 °C | The storm season starts. October is the wettest month in Kristiansand. |
Dress for the wind rather than the temperature: out on deck it feels much colder than in port, even in July. In Hirtshals, December is on average the windiest month and July the calmest. Kristiansand is clearly the wetter of the two ports, with around 1,350 mm of precipitation a year.
Temperatures are monthly averages over day and night. Wave figures come from the long-running wave buoy at Väderöarna in the Skagerrak; conditions on the ferry route itself can differ.
Which ferry is best in rough weather?
- Fjord FSTR (catamaran, Fjord Line): the fastest crossing at about 2 hrs 25 min, so you spend the least time at sea. As a high-speed craft it has stricter operating limits for wave height than the large ferries and it moves more in waves. It only sails in the calmer half of the year (2026: 27 March to 20 September).
- SuperSpeed 1 (Color Line): a large conventional ferry that sails all year and takes about 3 hrs 15 min.
- MS Stavangerfjord and MS Bergensfjord (Fjord Line): large cruise ferries that sail all year and take almost 4 hours.
In short: in calm weather the catamaran is the quick option, and when waves are forecast the large ships are the calmer choice. In a real storm the large ships stay in port too, as the examples below show.
Our tip: is wind forecast for your travel day? A sailing a few hours earlier or later can make a real difference, because a storm front often passes within a day. Look at the departures of both operators side by side before you book. Compare sailings and prices →
Storms and cancelled sailings in recent years
Most sailings run as scheduled, but every year a few storms stop the ferries for a couple of sailings or for a full day. Recent examples on this route:
- 20 September 2026: gusts up to strong gale force (over 20 m/s) at Hirtshals. Both Fjord Line and Color Line cancelled sailings from Hirtshals that afternoon.
- 5 April 2026, storm Dave (Easter Sunday): red weather warning for southern Norway with gusts of 40 to 45 m/s. Color Line cancelled all its sailings on the route that day. Fjord Line cancelled four sailings and sailed again in the evening.
- 3 and 4 October 2025, storm Amy: red warning for the Skagerrak coast. Color Line cancelled the Friday evening sailing from Hirtshals and the Saturday morning return, and kept the ship in port overnight.
- 5 August 2025, storm Floris: a summer storm in the middle of the holiday season. Color Line cancelled sailings between Kristiansand and Hirtshals, Fjord Line cancelled a Fjord FSTR sailing, and thousands of travellers had to rebook.
- 31 October 2024: gale-force wind from the south-west with gusts of 24 m/s. Color Line cancelled its SuperSpeed sailings from Kristiansand and Hirtshals.
What these storms have in common:
- Cancellations are usually announced the day before, once the forecast is firm.
- Often only the sailings in the worst hours are dropped. The ferries sail again as soon as the wind eases.
- Autumn and winter are the main storm season, but August 2025 and Easter 2026 show it can also happen in holiday periods.
What if your sailing is cancelled?
- You will be contacted: the operator informs passengers about a cancellation and the alternatives. Make sure the phone number and email address in your booking are correct.
- Rebooking or refund: under the EU passenger rights for sea travel (Regulation 1177/2010) you can choose between the next available sailing and a refund of your ticket.
- No extra compensation for weather: when weather that makes sailing unsafe is the cause, the operator generally does not have to pay compensation for the delay or for a hotel night. Travel insurance may cover this.
- Booked through a booking site? Then you arrange the change or refund through that site.
Our tip: travelling in autumn or winter? Don’t plan a tight connection on the other side, and book a hotel in Hirtshals or Kristiansand that you can cancel free of charge. Then a cancelled sailing costs you a few hours instead of your holiday.
Tips for a calmer crossing
- Choose one of the large ships rather than the catamaran when waves of more than about 2 m are forecast.
- Sit low and in the middle of the ship, where it moves least.
- Look at the horizon or get some fresh air on deck. Reading and looking at your phone make it worse.
- Eat something light before departure and go easy on alcohol.
- Seasickness tablets work best when you take them before departure. Ask a pharmacist which ones suit you.
Forecasts and sailing decisions change quickly. For the status of your own sailing, always check the traffic information of Color Line or Fjord Line.