Q&A: which climate region in norway lies enteriely south of the arctic circlE?
Question by Addicted To Him (Edward Cullen)!: which climate region in norway lies enteriely south of the arctic circlE?
marine west coast
humid continental
tundra
???
Best answer:
Answer by Michel Verheughe
I live in Norway, near Oslo, south of the arctic circle. The climate here is different from the west to the east coast and from coast to inland.
Norway is open on the west to the low pressures moving in the North Sea and the Norwegian Sea. When that moist and mild air from the Gulf Stream meets the fjords of the south-west country, air rises, cools down by adiabatic orographic effect and it rains … a lot!
During the winter, the polar high pressure spreads more south and more often, Atlantic lows move across the English Channel and toward Denmark. This time, it is the south-east country to suffer precipitations. But now, the wind is north-easterly and much of the precipitation has fallen over Sweden. This is when we are sure to get snow and cold weather.
The central plateau of southern Norway, called Hardangervidda, is not very high, perhaps 3,000 ft AMSL on the average. That is higher than the tree limit for this latitude and there is only a thick tundra. Actually, Norway and Sweden is a big granite rock that was under the ice in the last ice age. Since then the ice has melted down and the terrain rose. In fact, where I live, it is about six feet higher now than during the Vikings’ time. We don’t really have montains but a high plateau cut by so many deep fjords created by the glaciers and icebergs. On the west coast, the fjords fall perhaps 3,000 ft down in the sea and … contiued another 3,00 ft under the sea!
Inland south Norway is definitively more continental. At this time of the year, it can get very cold inland. For example, the town of Røros up in the mountains, had something like -25 C last week. But where I live, near the coast, it hasn’t dropped under perhaps -5 C this year.
But at the beginning of the spring, the weather is much cooler here than inland because this time, the sea cools down the temperature.
You may write to me privately if you have more questions about the Norwegian weather. I teach meteorology to Norwegian pilots and I know pretty well my country.
Here are some photos I took a couple of weeks ago, flying in my region. You will see something typical: An inversion that keeps the air from rising, the cold wind streaming down from the mountains (known as a katabatic wind) with fog that flows in the valleys like rivers:
http://home.online.no/~michel/Lifjell/
Norway is a beautiful country. I can say that because I am originally from Belgium.
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