Været (the weather) is a frequent topic in Norway; after all, there’s a lot of it! Stretching more than 2600 km (1616 miles), from the North Sea east of Scotland, across the Polar Circle to the Barents Sea, Norway is bound to have a good deal of climatic variation. You’d better check værmeldinga (the weather forecast) before embarking on your trip!
As a rule of thumb, Western Norway is wet, while Eastern (and Northern) Norway are dryer and have colder winters. That is because there is a mountain range – Langfjella – that sets Vestlandet apart from the rest of the country. Why does this cause the West to be more rainy? Well, the simple explanation goes like this:
- A lot of water evaporates from the surface of Atlanterhavet (the Atlantic Ocean), creating sky/er (cloud/s).
- These clouds are blown towards Norway’s coastline (Norskekysten) by the wind.
- Upon hitting the Langfjella, they get drained of water, causing it to rain on the west side of the mountains.
I don’t know exactly how the peaks can make the clouds disintegrate, but now at least you know why there’s so much regn in Bergen!
Some useful phrases for talking about the weather:
- Det regner ofte på Vestlandet. It often rains in Western Norway.
- Jeg liker sola bedre. I like the sun more.
- Sola skinner. [SOla SHEner] The sun is shining.
- Det snør! It is snowing!
- Har du sett værmeldinga? Have you seen the weather forecast?
- Regn, regn, regn. Og hagl. Rain, rain, rain. And hail.
- Det blir bra på søndag. Sol og blå himmel. It is going to be nice on Sunday. Sun and blue skies.
- Vi må bli hjemme. Det er for mye tåke. We’ve got to stay at home. There’s too much fog.
- Det blåser. It is windy (literally: it is blowing).
- Lyn og torden. Lightning(s) and thunder.
Before you get too comfortable in front of the fireplace at hytta (the cabin), remember that
- Det finnes ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlige klær. There’s no bad weather, only bad clothes. 🙂
