Norway just recorded its 18th straight month with above-average temperatures. October was nearly 2 degrees Celsius warmer than normal, setting a new national record.
The previous record was 15 consecutive months from 2014 to 2015. This October ranked as the eighth warmest since records began in 1901.
Climate researcher Jostein Mamen from the Meteorological Institute said climate trends clearly show autumns are getting warmer. He noted temperature increases cannot be explained without including human contributions.
Temperature deviations varied across regions. Some stations in Møre and Romsdal, Nordland and Finnmark counties measured about 3 degrees above normal. Stations in Vestland, Innlandet and Østfold counties recorded about half a degree above normal.
Eleven weather stations set new records for high monthly temperatures. Seven stations recorded new maximum temperature records. The highest temperature reached 20.2 degrees Celsius in Grimstad on October 11.
Mamen explained that summer heat now extends into October. Autumn has shifted, starting and ending later. Climate change doesn't mean cold days disappear completely, but they occur less frequently.
On Svalbard archipelago, six stations set new maximum temperature records. Edgeøya recorded 7.9 degrees on October 3, the warmest since 2017. Svalbard Airport reached 10.2 degrees on October 7.
October also brought heavy rainfall. Twenty-four measurement stations set daily precipitation records. Nationwide, rainfall was 20 percent above normal, making this the 25th wettest October in recorded history.
Some stations in Trøndelag, Vestfold and Akershus counties received between 60 and 110 percent more rain than normal. The most rainfall occurred in Lurøy, Nordland, with 445.6 millimeters—28 percent above average.
During extreme weather event Amy, the Bergen-Florida station in Vestland recorded its strongest October wind gust at 36.6 meters per second. The strongest gust overall measured 62.4 meters per second in Rauma, Møre and Romsdal.
The consistent temperature records across Norway demonstrate how climate change is reshaping Nordic seasons in measurable ways that affect daily life.