The climate in Norway

Due to its location in northern Europe and its long coastline from the North Atlantic to the Arctic Ocean, Norway has a varied but cool climate. It is mainly influenced by Atlantic ocean currents and the mountainous terrain. The climate in Norway can be divided into three distinct regions: the coastal areas, the inland areas, and the mountainous regions.

In the southern coastal areas of Norway, which include cities such as Oslo and Bergen, the climate is generally mild and temperate. The region is characterized by frequent precipitation and moderate temperatures throughout the year, with average temperatures ranging from 0°C to 15°C. Winters are mild with occasional snowfall, while summers are much cooler than in central Europe, but still pleasant. In the northern coastal areas, i.e. above the Arctic Circle, the lack of daylight is an additional factor in the winter months, causing the surfaces to warm up very little. Thus, it remains cold throughout these latitudes.

Inland, the climate is colder and drier. There are long, cold winters with temperatures that regularly drop well below freezing, while summers are short and mild. Temperature fluctuations can be extreme, dropping as low as -40 °C in winter in some areas.

The mountainous regions of Norway, which include the Scandes, have a subarctic climate with long, snowy winters and short, cool summers. At the higher altitudes, it can even get icy cold in the summer months, which is why these areas are popular for winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding.

Temperature records of the last 74 years

The hottest temperature measured from 1949 to January 2023 was reported by the Oslo Blindern weather station. In July 2018, the record temperature of 34.6 °C was reported here. The hottest summer from July to September, based on all 21 weather stations in Norway below 970 meters altitude, was recorded in 2006 with an average temperature of 14.5 °C. This average temperature will normally be measured every four to six hours, thus also including the nights. Normally, this value is 12.6 degrees Celsius. The average maximum daily temperature at that time was 18.6 °C.

The coldest day in these 74 years was reported by the Karasjok weather station. Here the temperature dropped to -42.2 °C in January 2016. Karasjok lies at an altitude of 131 meters above sea level. The coldest winter (January to March) was in 1966 with an average temperature of -4.7 °C. In Norway, it is usual to have about 3.6 degrees more at -1.1 °C for this three-month period.

The most precipitation fell in September 1975. With 21.1 mm per day, the Bergen Fredriksberg weather station recorded the highest monthly average of the last 74 years. Incidentally, the region with the most rainfall for the whole year is around Bergen. The driest region is near Dombaas.

Long-term development of temperatures from 1989 - 2022

In contrast to single record values, long-term development cannot simply be brought about by all weather stations in the country. Both the number and the locations are constantly changing. An average value would give a distorted result. If several measuring stations in particularly cold mountain or coastal regions are added in one year, the average would decrease as a result of this alone. If a station fails during the summer or winter months, it does not provide any values and distorts the average again. The subsequent long-term development was therefore reduced to only 5 measuring points in order to have comparable data over as long a period as possible.

In the years 1989 to 2022, there were only these 5 weather stations in the whole country, which reported continuous temperature values. From these weather reports, we have created a long-term development that shows the monthly average temperatures. The hottest month in this entire period was July 2014 at 17.7 °C. February 2010 was the coldest month with an average temperature of -4.1 °C.

The average annual temperature was about 6.5 °C in the years after 1989 and about 6.6 °C in the last years before 2022. So it has hardly changed at all in the past 34 years. This trend only applies to the selected 5 weather stations in Norway. A considerably more comprehensive evaluation of global warming has been provided separately.

Data basis and methodology

The data from the individual measuring stations are based on the archives of the German Weather Service, individual values averaged and supplemented by own elements. In order to determine a representative national average, average values were first calculated for each part of the country, which were then summarized at the national level. Thus, if a disproportionate number of weather stations are located in a small area, their number does not affect the national average. There are 22 stations in Norway itself. In 7 cases, neighboring but nearby weather stations were also used to obtain more accurate values.