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Friday, March 29, 2024

Brrrrrrr – it’s COLD out there!

A deep freeze settled over most of Norway this week, with temperatures plunging down to minus-11C even in some areas around Oslo on Thursday. Unusually strong winds ushered in wind-chill factors that are rare in southern Norway.

Sub-freezing temperatures and strong winds have forced Norwegians to bundle up even more than usual this week. PHOTO: Views and News

“It’s not normal that we have such low temperatures and such strong winds at this time of year,” state meteorologist Haakon Melhuus told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK).

On Wednesday afternoon, temperatures hovered around minus-5C in Oslo but the wind resulted in an equivalent temperature of minus-20C. Residents were being cautioned to remove items from balconies and check their awnings and any other loose items around their homes.

Melhuus blamed cold air from Siberia and the Arctic areas for what the Norwegians call “sprengkulda,” or bitter cold. Temperatures were unusually low all over Europe, with only one degree above freezing in London and 3C in Madrid on Thursday morning.

It’s cold all over Norway, with minus-14 in Trondheim and minus-8 in Bergen. The lowest thermometers were recorded at the Suolovuopmi lodge on the Finnmark plateau northern Norway, where temperatures down to minus-30 and strong winds yielded a wind-chill factor of around minus-40C.

The freezing temperatures were expected to last through next week with some snow in the forecast after several days of relatively dry weather. The forecast called for sunshine and minus-13C in Oslo on Friday.

There was little if any snow in downtown Oslo this week, but skiing conditions in the hills around the capital and elsewhere remained good after snowfall last week.

The bitter cold was causing problems for skiers competing in the upcoming World Cup competitions this weekend, though, with the women’s relay in Finland under threat of cancellation. Norway’s downhill skiing star Aksel Lund Svindal was also facing bitter cold at Lake Louise in western Canada, where training sessions were cancelled because of temperatures down to minus-38C.

Views and News from Norway/Nina Berglund
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