The maritime effects of the White Sea create a milder climate than would be expected for a region of this latitude.

The region has a Humid continental climate - cool summer subtype (Koppen classification Dfc).

This climate is characterized by high variation in temperature, both daily and seasonally; with long, cold winters and short, cool summers with no averaging over 22 °C (72 °F).

[4] The cold climate and northerly latitude puts much of the region above the arctic treeline, with trees limited or sparse.

Large mammals of the area include herds of reindeer, which migrate into the tundra in Spring from the boreal forests to the south.