After the warmest December on record, Oslo and much of the rest of Norway were heading into the Christmas holidays with little if any snow. The lack of “normal” winter weather was ruining lots of Norwegian holiday rituals, and prompting families to change their plans.
This was the view towards the west from Røverkollen in the hills northeast of Oslo just a few weeks ago, and it’s pretty much the same heading into the Christmas holidays. Temperatures have dropped a bit, though, so there’s at least been some frost in the morning, but few lakes have iced over and there are no snowy trails for cross-country skiing. PHOTO: NewsinEnglish.no/Nina Berglund
With no snow for skiing, sledding or sleigh-riding, annual Christmas trips to family hytter (cabins) just wouldn’t be the same. Some were giving up holidays at the hytte and opting to stay home. Museums in some cities were staying open on days when they’re usually closed.
Rain was predicted in Northern Norway, the only part of the country where the weather had been cold and with lots of snow. An abrupt change in temperature combined with rain was already making roads hazardous and they quickly turned into solid ice. Police posted warnings against driving, even on the far northern road between Vadsø and Vardø in Finnmark.
There was expected to be some sun in Southern Norway (Sørlandet, Østlandet and Vestlandet) and temperatures did fall below the freezing point just before Christmas. There was no snow, though, nor in the immediate forecast.
The lower temperatures at higher elevations enabled ski resorts to turn on their snow canons and hope the artificial snow would last this time. A cold snap in November had raised hopes at alpine skiing centers, but then most all the snow that had been made melted away.
There are few prospects for new snow to fall either. “There’s a high-pressure system lying over Sørlandet (the southern tip of Norway), Østlandet (the area extending from Oslo south and east to the Swedish border) and Vestlandet (the West Coast and fjord area),” said Magnus Ovhed of the state Meteorological Institute. “That will give us only slightly cloudy or clear skies.” In other words, no snow.
He and his colleagues were predicting a change in the weather between Christmas and New Year, known as romjul in Norway. The weather may get colder, he said, “and the mild rain can turn into some powerful snowstorms, but it’s still uncertain how far south that will reach.”
NewsinEnglish.no staff