Extreme Weather Swings: 2024 Kicks Off with Record-Breaking Cold and Culminates in Record-Breaking Heat
The year gone by was the warmest recorded globally, but Norway‘s weather swing was nothing short of extreme. Here’s a recap of the wild weather ride we’ve been on in 2024.
A Bitterly Cold Start
2024 began with a bang – or rather, a deep freeze. January was over 2.2°C colder than average, with temperatures plummeting to -30°C in some areas. Southern Norway saw snow depths reaching over a meter, with skiers dusting off their gear to commute to work in Kristiansand. The cold snap set new records across eastern Norway, with Oslo’s Hvervenbukta even hosting ice bathing in -20°C temperatures.
"I think we can call this January’s main feature the ‘big chill’," says Hans Olav Hygen, head of climate services at Norway’s Meteorological Institute. "The big cold started in January and fine snow cover lasted well into spring."
A False Spring and a Scorching Summer
Just when Norwegians were gearing up for another long winter, March teased a false spring. But April’s chill put those hopes on ice, and summer’s heat seemed slow to arrive. Until May, that is.
"Suddenly, May was four degrees above normal," recalls Hygen. "It was explosive."
On Norway’s national day, May 17, many Norwegians enjoyed record-breaking heat, with temperatures flirting with the same record set in the scorcher of 2018. The heat wave was a stark contrast to the typical cool, wet Norwegian summer.
But while southern Norway sweltered, the north enjoyed a particularly hot summer.
"North Norway had one of the warmest summers we’ve ever seen," says Hygen. "Explosive marine heatwaves in the Atlantic contributed to this."
A Tropical September and an Indian Summer
Autumn arrived with a vengeance – and a tropical twist. For the first time ever, a ‘tropical day’ was recorded in September, with temperatures soaring to 30.6°C in Etne. Over a hundred stations set new temperature records, with five counties breaking their highest-ever temperature records.
But while southern Norway shivered through a cool, wet autumn, the north enjoyed an Indian summer.
"Although we don’t agree on the concept of a ‘normal’ autumn, the northern parts had a relatively warm autumn," says Hygen. "In some places, we even had warm nights in October and November."
Climate Change: A Consistent Factor
So, was 2024’s wild weather ride a one-off? Not likely, according to Hygen.
"We’re now comparing with a new normal that’s one degree warmer than the old normal, and we see that we’re consistently above that," he says. "We see phenomena like heavy rain in Bø – heavy rain on a small area is a trend we’ve seen both nationally and internationally due to climate change."
With 2024 behind us, what does 2025 hold? Only time (and the weather) will tell.
