Norway faces record rainfall in July 2024 as southeastern region experiences severe flooding

July 2024 has proved to be particularly wet in southeastern Norway, making it the wettest July since 1988. The region experienced 75% more rainfall than usual, contributing to a national increase of 30% in precipitation. The municipality of Bø in Midt-Telemark was the hardest hit, facing severe flooding last week, which coincided with the wettest day nationwide in July, recording 99.4 millimeters of rain. Overall, Bø registered the highest rainfall for the month, totaling 342.2 millimeters at the Lifjell weather station—70 millimeters above the average.

In stark contrast, northern Norway experienced above-average temperatures, making July unusually warm for the region. Reidun Gangstø, a climate researcher at the Meteorological Institute, noted that having a station in Finnmark as the warmest in the country is rare. July 2024 turned out to be the fifth hottest recorded in northern Norway, with an average temperature of 2.6 degrees above normal. The highest temperature of the month was noted at Nyrud in Sør-Varanger, where it reached 17.5 degrees Celsius—3.5 degrees higher than typical. The hottest reading in July overall was recorded further south, at Hitra in Trøndelag, peaking at 32 degrees on July 21.

Meanwhile, Arctic sea ice has melted at an accelerated pace, leading to the third-lowest extent of sea ice for this time of year by the end of July. Signe Aaboe emphasized that global sea ice extent has reached record lows since mid-July. In Antarctica, the growth of sea ice is also significantly slower than usual, a simultaneous extreme at both poles, adversely affecting global sea ice levels.