We're often
asked if it's freezing here, if it rains/snows a lot and if it's dark half of
the year.
We're all
living in the south of Norway so: no it's not dark half of the year.
The days
grow shorter in the Winter time and much larger in the Summer time.
Typically
we have daytime during 10:30 and 15 in the Winter and nighttime from 00h to 03h
in the Summer.
What
actually happens is that in the Winter the sun rises but always very close to
the horizon line. So you do get to see daylight but it's very pale.
In the
Summer the sun disappears in the horizon but never that far from the horizon
line, so you always have a pale light in the sky, even during the night.
This varies
within the Norwegian area you live in. Further north you may have more extreme
variations. However, although all of us came from well defined day and night
time countries, this was not as difficult to adapt as it seemed.
The cold in
southern Norway it's not worse than in some of the winters back home.
The main
reason for that is that the houses are well prepared for the cold weather, so
you're always warm and comfortable. In fact, you can get to where knit most of
the year. You must have a very warm jacket to face the coldest days, but as
soon as you enter somewhere (bus included) you immediately feel cosy.
So when
moving here, investing in a good long jacket is wise and of course water proof
boots. When it comes to these two itens, we can say by our own experience that
it's difficult to find good quality material back home. If the country you're
from is not on the north then the boots and jackets you will find can be good
but never fully prepared for the northern cold. You should buy those itens here
where they're built to keep you warm while being easy to wear.
And does it
rain/snow a lot here?
Well, again it depends on the area of Norway you're in.
Typically it rains more on the west than in the east coast. And it rains more
on the coast than in the interior – so no different from most of the other
places.
You'll find
much more snow in the areas which are away from the coast.
Another
item that you may consider to invest on is a good rain coat. Actually you
should try to find a warm jacket that is fit for the rain and cold, so a good
snow jacket. This will make you feel comfortable during the winter. Don't
forget of course the indispensable accessories like: gloves, scarves and
something to protect your head (ears included).
It rains
here, but so far we can't say that it rains more than in other wetty cities.
And just like in other wetty cities the rain is totally unpredictable. It may
happen in any season, including the summer, at any time. So you should keep
yourself daily updated with the weather forecast (sometimes hour by hour).
Norwegians
seem to be proud of knowing exactly when and if it will rain and what type of
rain will it be. Besides the rain doesn't scare Norwegians at all. They usually
run or cycle to work whether rains or shines. But if you really want to know:
yes you will most likely have more rainy days here than in your home country.
However this shouldn't be seen as turn off. Of course you don't have to go
ahead and embrace the rain, but raining more allows you to appreciate better
the sunny days and consequently spend more time outside. And although we're all
from warm or temperate countries we can say that we probably spend more time
outside here (and enjoy it better) than back home.
Regarding the snow, since you`re in a nordic country there is the
possibility of having snow and ice days throughout the entire country, but like
referred before, depends on the location. You have snow on the coast, but it
doesn`t last long, because since is more rainy, the rain melts and clears the
snow and ice. Still you can still have strong snow days, that will cover
everything, and can reach big heights. Also this can be a new and interesting
experience, that is walking on snow/ice. Here a good pair of boots will help…
or just buy strap-on spikes to your shoes.
Norwegians embrace a lot of the snow! It is normal, they are more used
to it. But what I mean is that the snow for them means skiing, cross-country
and all of snow sports. So the cold and snow can mean very good and fun
hobby's.
If like some of us, you're just not one of those, then you can also
enjoy a nice walk on the weekends or a good reading in a cosy place while
having a warm drink.
Other option especially used by a lots Norwegian girls it's to spend 5
to 10 minutes in a solar saloon regularly. It keeps them with an interesting
tan, but we're not so sure if that is a healthy choice.
So as you can see the weather is not that big of an issue. At least no
more than it can be in other places.
There's not bad weather, only bad clothing!
