Norwegian state meteorologists were sending out new warnings of an abrupt shift in the weather late this week. After an unusually warm autumn and December, the New Year is due to begin with a nationwide freeze.
A new weatherfront was due to move from north to south in Norway at the end of this week, bringing freezing temeperatures with it. There still may not be much snow, but lots of ice, heavy frost and frozen fog. PHOTO: NewsinEnglish.no/Morten Møst
“In some areas it will be colder than your own freezer,” Unni Nilssen of the state meteorological institute told news bureau NTB. Forecasts called for temperatures as low as minus-30C in some parts of Finnmark in the north and nearly as cold in Røros in central Norway.
Thermometers were also due to dive in Southern Norway, especially at higher elevations. Skiers on holiday in places like Geilo and Hemsedal can expect weekend temperatures of around minus 17-20C. Temperatures at other popular destinations such as Kvitfjell, Hafjell and Trysil were expected to drop to around minus 13-17C.
It was due to be a bit warmer at Norefjell, but not much, with temperature forecasts of minus 10-14C. Thermometers were due to fall as low as minus-9C in Oslo, also in innland areas including Østfold in the south.
While the pre-Christmas season was mostly a wet affair, with lots of rain and temperatures well above zero, the new cold air was moving in quickly but lacks moisture. Siri Viberg, another state meteorologist following the weather change closely, told newspaper Aftenposten that “the country will be covered by cold air from the north” without much precipitation.
There may be som snow flurries “here and there,” said Nilssen, and the new cold front can make roads that were damp from before very slippery. So can small amounts of snow, which otherwise may boost prospects for cross-country skiing in some areas where they hasn’t been enough snow.
The cold weather is expected to stick around well into next week. Even without much snowfall, the freeze will make it possible for ski centers to make artificial snow that’s likely to stick around for awhile.
“It will still be cold out there, according to our three-week prognosis,” Viberg said, noting that the cold front will keep moving south over Europe and even into North Africa.
NewsinEnglish.no/Nina Berglund