Prices in Norway rose 3.4 percent in September, first snowfall set to hit higher ground in Oslo, and more news on Friday.
Prices in Norway rose 3.4 percent in September
Prices in Norway increased by 3.4 percent in September compared to the same month last year. This is a slight rise from 3.3 percent in August, according to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) from Statistics Norway (SSB).
The CPI measures the price development of goods and services purchased by households in Norway, but it also provides key insight into how the cost of living changes over time and to measure inflation.
Statistics Norway pointed out that rising fuel costs drove up overall inflation as prices jumped by 27.7 percent from August to September. “Never before has such a large monthly change been measured for this product group in the CPI,” SSB stated in a press release.
In addition, food prices did not fall as much as they typically do at this time of year.
Among the items that saw significant jumps were melons, which became 16.6 per cent more expensive.
Non-alcoholic drinks also went up by 4 percent in just one month, reaching their highest price ever in Norway. For instance, coffee prices rose sharply, jumping 14.1 percent in September.
“It is common for prices for non-alcoholic beverages to fluctuate, but we have not seen a higher monthly change in prices in this product group since July 2022. The price level for this product group has never been higher,” said Espen Kristiansen, section manager at Statistics Norway.
Norwegian vocabulary: prisutviklingen – price development
Major Telenor outage exposes Norway’s digital infrastructure vulnerability
For several hours on Thursday, residents across Norway faced severe network disruptions, struggling to connect calls to and from users of Telenor (Norway’s primary mobile network operator), as well as reach emergency services or contact medical helplines. The network failure also stopped train traffic across the country.
Although network services are now back to normal, the incident has raised new concerns about how vulnerable Norway’s digital infrastructure is.
Minister of Digitalisation and Public Administration Torgeir Micaelsen described the breakdown as “very serious”. “It quickly has major consequences for large parts of our society, such as today, when people were unable to reach emergency services for periods and trains were brought to a standstill. This should not happen,” he told news agency NTB.
Telenor confirmed that preliminary investigations point to an internal technical fault rather than a deliberate cyberattack or malicious act.
In response, the National Communications Authority (Nkom) raised its alert level and started a formal inspection of Telenor. They want to find out exactly what caused the problem and make sure steps are taken to prevent it from happening again.
Norwegian vocabulary: mobilnettet – mobile network
First snowfall of the season set to hit higher ground in Oslo
Winter is knocking on the capital’s door!
The Norwegian Meteorological Institute has issued a yellow warning for snow in higher areas of Southern Norway. Experts said higher-altitude regions could receive between 5 and 15 centimetres of snow within 24 hours, with sleet or snow expected in areas above 500 metres in Oslo, particularly around Tryvannshøgda from Friday evening.
While this might sound tempting for ski enthusiasts, they will need to hold off for now. Temperatures in Oslo are set to climb again on Sunday, melting the initial snowfall.
Norwegian vocabulary: farevarsel – warning
READ ALSO: When should you switch to winter tyres in Norway?
A screenshot of the Yr weather map showing yellow warnings for snow across elevated areas in Southern Norway. Credit: Yr
Ultra-rare Saint Olav coin identified in historic viking hoard
The largest viking coin hoard ever found in Norway has led to an exciting discovery. Archaeologists cataloguing the Mørstad treasure (which now exceeds 5,000 coins) have identified a unique silver coin minted under King Olav Haraldsson (Olav the Saint).
King Olav, who Christianised Norway and died at the Battle of Stiklestad in 1030, was a key figure in the country’s early history.
“This is absolutely fantastic fun. After working on this for 25 to 30 years, it is extraordinary to have such a rare find,” professor and coin expert Svein Gullbekk at the Museum of Cultural History told NTB.
The Mørstad treasure was found at Rena in Østerdalen in April by two private individuals using metal detectors, and only four of these coins are known worldwide, with this being the only one in Norway.
To share the finding with the public, an exhibition will open at Oslo’s Museum of Cultural History on November 20th.
Norwegian vocabulary: vikingmyntskatt – Viking coin hoard / treasure / mynter – coins (mynt in singular)
Practical updates on Friday
The 2026 Nobel Peace Prize winner will be announced in Oslo at 11am on Friday.
If you are planning to travel in the capital this weekend, keep in mind that Oslo Central Station (Oslo S) will be closed on Saturday, with further closures continuing into Sunday morning.
READ MORE: Oslo Central Station to close all day Saturday
Finally, Friday is the last day of the court mourning period for the Royal Family, marking the start of a new era for the royal house. “Work on changes resulting from the succession to the throne means time will be spent on internal processes going forward,” the Palace said on its website.