Southern Norway’s flirt with glorious summer weather the past several days is about to come to an abrupt end. State meteorologists say a “spear” of cold air will be hurled over most of the southern part of the country before the weekend, with temperatures falling by as much as 15 degrees Celsius.
The change in weather will be “quite severe,” according to meteorologist Martin Granerød. He told weather website yr.no that the West Coast will experience the sharpest drop in temperatures, from highs in the mid-20sC (mid-70sF) down to the low teens.
Holiday forecast uncertain
Dreams of a warm and sunny national day on the 17th of May are also due to be shattered by the forecasts. While some call for temperatures around 16-17C, comfortable for all those wearing heavy wool national costumes known as the bunad, others warn of possible showers and temperatures down near the freezing point.
Snow may even return to higher elevations, making the circle complete. After getting hit with as much as 20-30 centimeters of snow, the Oslo area was basking in warm sunshine and temperatures of around 24C just a week later. The weekend was nothing short of perfect, if even a bit warm.
The Sola area south of Stavanger was the first to report a thermometer reading over 25C this year, while almost all mountain valleys from Sogn og Fjordane west to Møre og Romsdal and Sør-Trøndelag were all reporting their first official summer weekend, with temperatures over 20C. Bergen, Haugesund and Stord checked in with 24C and it was 23.4C at Bygdøy in Oslo. That prompted some hardy souls to dive into the fjord for the first swim of the season, while others skied in shirtsleeves on the last remaining snow in the hills north of the city.
From winter to summer to winter
Now, just as winter turned to summer in the space of a week, it’s likely to return to winter, or at least autumn. Meteorologists blame a jetstream moving in from the northwest that’s due to hit Bergen, for example, on Friday. Temperatures are expected to plummet to 10C during the day and colder at night.
Little if any rain is expected, though, and skies may remain sunny. It may also be milder in Northern Norway, since the “spear” of cold air is directed at the south and may bypass the northeastern parts of Norway. The weather experts admit to quite a bit of uncertainty, but warn not to venture off wearing only shorts and T-shirts. Warmer clothes shouldn’t be packed away yet.
newsinenglish.no/Nina Berglund
