Meteorologists warn of rising forest-fire risk in southern Norway

The Norwegian Meteorological Institute is reviewing forest-fire danger levels in eastern Norway after a weekend blaze destroyed more than 100 homes in Krokstadelva.

Published by Dagbladet on Monday, the assessment comes as temperatures rise across southern Norway, with daytime highs of 20–26 °C expected through midweek.

“We are continuously evaluating the situation in eastern Norway,” said Idunn Hana, duty meteorologist at the institute. “Dry and warm conditions are increasing the forest-fire risk.”

Fire crews remain on scene in Krokstadelva, conducting mop-up operations after the weekend inferno. Light rain fell over the weekend but did little to ease ground-level dryness.

“It’s warm and dry, and the rain we got was welcome but already fading,” said Jan Rundtom, operations chief at the Sørøst 110 emergency dispatch center. “Based on the danger-index maps, we expect to reach the same risk level within a day or two that we had before the fire.”

Meteorologists forecast the warmest stretch at the start of the week, with southern coastal areas such as Kristiansand likely to see the highest readings. Scattered showers may develop later in the week.