When you think about the northern lines of latitude known as the Arctic Circle, you probably imagine an inhospitable alien world, probably set in mid-winter’s freezing cold and unbearable darkness. Although the darkness is correct, the temperatures in the Lofoten Islands of Norway defy convention.

Despite their location, the Lofoten Islands, tucked inside the Arctic Circle, rarely dip below freezing. Due to a convergence of the Gulf Stream with two underwater currents, the North Atlantic Current and the Norwegian Current, the weather in Lofoten remains anomalously warm. Two cities in Lofoten, Røst and Værøy, have average temperatures above freezing for the entire year.

Although the mountains near Lofoten often get snow and weather can be unpredictable, Lofoten remains one of the world’s largest elevated temperature anomalies considering its position in the Arctic.