Weather in Norway in 2021: Fairly normal on average, but with dramatic extremes

Taken as a whole, last year was fairly normal in terms of weather. However, temperature and precipitation records – as well as extreme weather – were also registered in Norway.

State meteorologist Rafael Escobar Løvdahl summed up the weather last year during a webinar on Wednesday under the auspices of the Norwegian Meteorological Institute.

“It was a fairly normal year, on average, in recent years,” he said.

The temperature was typical for the last 30 years, while the precipitation was 10% below normal.

Started cold

The year started with the coldest January in ten years.

“It was more like the normal from 1960 to 1990,” the meteorologist said. And that was true all over the country.

But in general, winter is shrinking, the state meteorologist pointed out. In the last 30-year normal, Tromsø has lost 22 days of skiing from the previous period, while Lillehammer has lost 15.

January also saw storm Frank, which brought strong winds over northern Norway. The strongest wind was measured in Sandnessjøen, with 47.3 meters per second in gusts.

Warm spring

Last year’s spring got off to a warm start, with over 30 degrees in Lier in March. When we arrived in May, something unusual happened where Oslo had wetter weather than Bergen.

It has happened before, but the difference has not been so great, said state meteorologist Løvdahl.

The summer also brought high temperatures, for example, Notodden saw over 20 degrees – which by meteorologists is considered a Nordic summer day – in 88 out of 92 days. And in Banak in Porsanger municipality, a new county record was set for Troms and Finnmark with 34.3 degrees.

Heavy rain records

At the end of July, Vestfold had a heavy rainstorm with as many as six precipitation records. If the rain that came in half an hour had been collected on a football field the size of Ullevaal Stadium, it would have yielded 362,000 liters of water.

“It is enough for an average shower every day for eight years,” the meteorologist explained.

The autumn was wet for Western Norway, and there has never been more precipitation in Bergen in one month than in October. 

Rain also affected Trøndelag at the end of the year, and this led to landslides, floods, and flooded basements.

“The contrasts are great. On average, there was no big difference, but then we have these records,” Rafael Escobar Løvdahl summed up.

Note: The picture used is for illustration purposes only.

Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews

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