Warmer than the South

Have you booked a ticket to the south of the continent, or perhaps the Canary Islands, in the hope of getting this year’s summer in advance? Ask if you shouldn’t stay at home instead:

This week, temperatures well above the 20s have been reported in a number of places in southern Norway. According to the forecast, Bergen will reach a full 23 degrees on Thursday, with Oslo close behind on 22.

This parks a number of European capitals, such as Madrid (14 degrees), Lisbon (17), Rome (19) and Paris (18) on the same day; rain has also been reported in the three latter places.

Even more startlingly, several favorite travel destinations in the Canary Islands cannot beat the Norwegian cities either: Puerto Rico on Gran Canaria only manages to match Oslo with 22 degrees, the same with Santa Cruz on Tenerife.

High pressure

Ingvild Villa, meteorologist on duty at the Meteorological Institute, confirms the impression of a more summery southern Norway than most of Europe.

– That’s right; it looks a little more unstable there, with more precipitation – along the coast in Spain and Italy, France. It will actually be warmer in southern Norway already tomorrow [tirsdag] and Wednesday, but slightly more cloudy than Thursday, says Villa to Dagbladet.

– Why is there such a difference between southern Norway and the continent?

– High pressure will build up over southern Norway, which will then provide slightly more stable weather. At the same time, there will be slightly more low-pressure activity further south in Europe. It sets up an air flow from the south and south-east towards southern Norway, especially on Thursday and Friday, when the cloud cover will break up a bit and the temperature will rise.

Out the week

The heat wave is expected to last this week, as well as a little beyond next.

– Beyond next week, there will be a little more uncertainty – things are starting to crack a little. It is uncertain whether the high pressure will remain, or whether it will weaken and the weather will eventually transition to low pressure activity.

The meteorologist emphasizes that with a long period without precipitation such as the impending one, the danger of grass and heather fires will also increase in southern Norway.

– It can be good to be observant during the week, she advises.

Can’t join

When we emphasize southern Norway, it is because northern Norway unfortunately does not get to take part in the summer heat. In Bodø, Tromsø and Kirkenes, it will be 9, 8 and 2 degrees respectively on Thursday, according to the forecast.

– There is rarely the same tendency in southern and northern Norway. It has been very nice in the north for quite some time now, but later in the week it will be a little more grey. In the very south of Nordland, on Helgeland, they can get a taste of a good spring and a little summer – but further north it will be significantly cooler, says the meteorologist.

– Is it normal to have temperatures above 20 degrees in southern Norway at the turn of April/May?

– In any case, it is not unusual – we have seen high temperatures in April, and also at the beginning of May, but also with great contrasts and sudden changes. So you have to be prepared that after a period of warm weather the temperature can drop a little again, and we get colder nights.

Many people want to know the weather on 17 May – but Villa cannot give a very certain answer now. The main problem is that National Day is two and a half weeks ahead.

– The uncertainty is very large based on the temperature map. Sometimes the weather situation is simpler and easier to make a forecast for, but in this case you have to be patient, says meteorologist Ingvild Villa.