Thermometers hit a record 18.5C (65.3F) at Lyngen-Ura on Wednesday, a new all-time November high for Norway’s northern county of Troms. Neighbouring Finnmark County also set new warmth records for the month of November, with 16.6C in Loppa and 16C at Banak in Porsanger.
“This is absolutely unusual warmth when county records in two municipalities are set,” state meteorologist Maiken Vessel told state broadcaster NRK. The temperatures were also the highest in the country this week, at a time of year when it’s usually coldest up north.
Lyngen in Troms is best-known for its majestic alps that rise from the sea and are popular with skiers. Vessel said they can trap warm air, and the new record high temperatures were tied to a high-pressure area with warm air masses that came from both Great Britain and the Mediterranean. “Warm air can come from the Atlantic and around the Azores and form a track straight up to us,” Vessel said.
The unusually warm air can also be behind more storms on Thursday that led to high waves and flooding along Norway’s northern coast. Temperatures, meanwhile, were dropping and snow was forecast at elevations higher than 200 meter and in some inland areas.
NewsinEnglish.no staff
