Hvordan er været i dag? How is the weather today?  Similar to where I come from in the Midwest, været is definitely an important topic of conversation in Norway.  Right now, været is an important conversation for many people throughout the world, especially the Southern part of the U.S.  The amount of devastation caused by the recent tornadoes is absolutely unbelievable.  I know someone who´s son goes to college in Tuscaloosa, which was hit very hard a couple of days ago.  We experience tornadoes in MN, but never have we experienced hundreds of them in a matter of weeks like the South has recently.  And let´s not forget about the tsunami in Japan.

Here in MN we experience nearly all types of vær as we have 4 very distinct seasons.  It gets reeeeaally kaldt om vinteren and veldig varmt om sommeren.  Om vinteren, får vi mye snø.  During the winter, we get a lot of snow.  We get huge snøstormer (snowstorms) and lave temperaturer (low temperatures).  Om sommeren, er det mye sol og høye temperaturer.  During the summer there is a lot of sun and high temperatures.  Vi får mye regn om våren (we get a lot of rain in the spring) that often leads to flom (floods).  Stormer with torden og lyn (thunder and lightning) are common as well.  This is also the sesong (season) that brings the occasional tornado and more often hagl (hail).  In the last 5 years, we have had many very destructive hagl stormer.  What we don´t get here in MN are tyfoner (typhoons), orkaner (hurricanes), tsunamier, and jordskjelver (earthquakes).

Norway experiences much of the same vær that MN does, but it doesn´t typically get quite as kaldt, nor does it get as varmt.  Norway gets a lot of snø and certainly the west coast of Norway receives a lot of regn.  The southern and northern parts of the country usually have the most sol.  With a high percentage of the country covered in fjell (mountains), snøskred (avalanches) are common.  The most ekstremt vær hits the west coast as vær systemer build up across the Atlantic and Nordsjøen (the North Sea).  Nordsjøen is actually one of the most dangerous bodies of water in the world.  Lots of stormer with regn, vind, og hagl.

Hvordan er været where you are?  Her er det overskyet og litt kjølig. Here it is overcast and a bit chilly.  Vi har hatt mye snø. We have had a lot of snow.  Vanligvis er det mye varmere på denne tiden av året enn det er nå.  Usually it is much warmer at this time of year than it is now.  Jeg gleder meg til sol og varmen! I´m looking forward to sun and warmth!