Norway Climate
Top 5 Cities: Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger, Trondheim, and Drammen
This month in numbers
Norway experienced its 3rd warmest February–April on record, with temperatures averaging -2.5°C, a significant 4.3°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. April 2026 itself ranked as the 9th warmest April on record, with an anomaly of +2.5°C. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C, while the February–April period also ranked as the 2nd warmest globally for land temperatures, at +1.2°C above average.
What changed
This recent warmth follows a colder-than-average winter, with February 2026 being Norway's coldest February in 16 years, averaging 3.1°C below the norm. However, the period before Christmas 2025 was unseasonably mild. This shift to warmer conditions in the spring has been particularly pronounced in northern Norway, which recorded its warmest April ever. Norway's 3-month anomaly of +4.33°C places it 13th globally among the 234 regions tracked. The country also holds the top spot for the 12-month rolling anomaly, at +3.60°C.
What’s driving change?
The recent cold snap in February was linked to a persistent high-pressure system near Greenland, which blocked moist Atlantic air from reaching the Nordic region. Climate researchers suggest that such long cold spells can be connected to , where rapid warming in the Arctic affects natural phenomena and variations, causing weather situations to "hang." The () was in a negative phase in January and December 2025, shifting to a positive phase in February and March 2026. The ENSO state is currently Neutral, with an anomaly of +0.11°C for February-April 2026. However, forecasts indicate a likely transition to El Niño conditions during the boreal summer, with a 61% probability for May-July and a 79% probability for June-August. This past winter also saw a significant storm named "Dave" impact southwestern Norway in early April, bringing heavy rain, snow, and hurricane-force winds that caused power outages and road closures.
Looking ahead
Seasonal forecasts suggest that land surface temperatures are expected to be above-normal nearly everywhere across Europe for the May-June-July season.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Norway
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Norway changing?
Norway is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Norway come from?
Climate data for Norway comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Norway climate data cover?
The Norway climate profile covers Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger, Trondheim and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Norway
How often is the Norway climate update refreshed?
The Norway climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.