CLIMATE
The typical rainy inland climate of Norway is surprisingly mild for this latitude. Thanks to the warm Gulf Stream in all seaports, the water does not freeze all year round. The coastal mountain ranges form a dam against humid winds, mostly from the south-west. Precipitation is up to 5000 mm per year, of which Bergen collects the most on the south-west coast – 2250 mm per year.
Continental influences and corresponding high-pressure zones prevail in the Southeast, in the central part of Norway and in the Far North. Rondane and Gudbrandsdal are among the driest counties in Norway, where the rainfall does not exceed 500 mm per year.
In summer, the average highest temperature in July is 16 ° C in the south and approx. 11° C in the North. However, unexpected summer heat can even occur in the polar region. In July 1997 r. the temperature in Narvik has soared by more than 30 ° C, and in August of the same year in Svalbard it exceeded 20 ° C.
Heavy snowfall is common in winter, thanks to which there are excellent skiing conditions in Norway. In the mountains, the snow cover sometimes reaches thickness 10 m. In the lower areas, its thickness generally does not exceed 2 – 3 m. In January, the highest average temperature in the south is 1 ° C, and in the north -3 ° C. There are, however, considerable frosts: in January 1999 r. the temperature in Kirkenes dropped briefly to -56 ° C.