Think of Norway and you probably think of glaciers and snow-capped mountains, beautiful fjords with icy waters, lots of forests and untamed wildlife. Whatever you imagine, you will probably label Norway as pretty cold. The best months to visit Norway for a vacation are from May to September for the best weather. These are also the driest months with around 3 inches (7.5cm) of rainfall on the coast each month during the summer.
Norway is part of Scandinavia and its most northerly land reaches well inside the Arctic Circle. Due to the Gulf Stream and the prevailing westerly winds, Norway experiences warmer temperatures than you might imagine. It also has plenty of rain. Norway’s climate spans all the way from an Arctic climate in the north to a maritime climate in the south and west. The warmest part of the country is around Oslo which sits in the lowlands to the south east of the country. Oslo has warm sunny summers with average temperatures of 71F (22C). However winter temperatures from November to March still remain well below freezing.
On the south west coast, Bergen has average winter temperatures of around freezing but summers also are more temperate, with average highs reaching just 65F (18C).
Even north of the Arctic Circle, the snow does get to melt in places. In the summer, temperatures in Trondheim average 60F (16C) but from October to April it can be cold and dark. These sub-arctic conditions see the ground almost permanently frozen for many months at a time although the ocean does keep Norway’s winters less severe. Further north sees true arctic conditions with permanent snow and ice all year round.
