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Friday, March 29, 2024

Warm weather sets spring record

Norway’s record cold winter seems to be giving way to a record warm spring, according to new statistics from the state meteorological institute. Norway hasn’t had such a warm April since 1959, and the late Easter meant that it set warmth records, too.

Flowers are bursting into bloom all over Norway, because of an unusually warm April. PHOTO: Views and News

The highest temperature of the year so far was recorded at Åfjord in Trøndelag, central Norway, where the thermometer hit 22.6 degrees on Saturday, called påskeaften (“Easter Eve”).

Weather statisticisn Bernt Lie said a temperature that high hasn’t been recorded so early in April since 1959.

“We can already say now that this year’s April is one of the warmest we have ever experienced in Norway,” John Smits of the state meteorological institute told news burean NTB. “It’s definitely the best Easter weather we’ve had in the mountain areas south of Dovre and east of Finse, in the lower elevations and along the southern coast (Sørlandet).”

In Oslo, the sun has been shining every day for the past week, with some haze and cooler temperatures at night, but daytime highs have prompted folks to flock outdoors and literally sunbathe. Beaches along the fjord have been popular during the Easter holidays and some brave souls have even jumped into the water, which was frozen solid just a few weeks ago.

Farther south, in Kristiansand for example, teenagers were out sunning themselves in bikinis on the beach. So were many others, from Hvaler in the east to Kragerø in the southwest.

Even though a record 27C was recorded on the 27th of April in 2000 at Sarpsborg, the weather experts say that this year’s consistently warm, sunny days set this April apart. “It’s been warm the entire month, from the 1st of April, until, so the average is higher,” Smits told NTB.

April in Norway generally is characterized by wide variations in the weather, but not this year. Average temperatures have been 8.5C this year, compared to the last record of 7.7C set in 2009.

The warm temperatures mean that the trees have become green almost over night, flowers are blooming all over and the forests are full of the seasonal flowers known as hvitveis and blåveis, usually not found until May or even early June.

The mild temperatures are expected to continue into the next week, at least in southern Norway. A low pressure system over parts of northern Norway was expected to cause more variation, and some rain.

Views and News from Norway/Nina Berglund
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