March 2023 was colder than normal. Nationally, there was 15% more precipitation than what is considered normal.

– With the exception of the far south of Østfold and the far west of Rogaland, it was colder than normal across the country in March, says climatologist Elin Lundstad of the Meteorological Institute.

In parts of Finnmark, Nordland and Møre og Romsdal, it was what meteorologists consider very cold, which is minus three to four degrees colder than normal for the region, according to Lundstad. The national temperature was 2.9°C below normal. A recent report by the Meteorological Institute shows that the month is the coldest since 2001 on Finnmarksvidda.

– One of the reasons it was colder than normal was due to trading with the Arctic. He went further south than normal. The pressure distribution and jet streams led to a more northerly wind, and that was more dominant than the westerly wind, she said.

It was also wetter than normal. Nationally, there was 15% more precipitation than usual.

– Especially in eastern Norway and Finnmark, where more than 40% more than normal fell, there was a lot of precipitation. While other regions were very dry, for example in western Norway.

– You can safely say that this has been a strange weather month. It is no longer so common that we see colder than normal months. The last time it was colder than this year was in 2018.

Measurements are measured in percentiles which are calculated based on the normal 30-year period. From 2021 inclusive, the period from 1991 to 2020 has been used as the normal period. Norway is vast and there are regional differences between different parts of the country. By using percentiles, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute can measure the magnitude of deviations from normal at each location.

(© NTB)