Unusually Warm November on Svalbard – Warmer than Oslo

On Wednesday, there were higher temperatures on Svalbard than in the Norwegian capital, something which is well outside the norm, according to a climate researcher. That is reported by Svalbardposten.

In the morning, there were 3,9 degrees Celsius at the Svalbard Airport weather station. In comparison, the temperatures showed 2,5 degrees at Blindern in Oslo.

"The normal temperature in Longyearbyen in the middle of November is - 6,3 degrees, says Hans Olav Hygen, climate researcher at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, to Svalbardposten.

In other words, there was a 10-degree difference between the measured temperature and the norm for this time of year.

This is usually the time for ice formation around the archipelago, Hygen points out.

"What we see from a climate perspective, is that Svalbard is one of the areas that melts fastest. In recent years, the ice has retreated and provided open waters for large parts of the year, states Hygen.

Svalbard has had a record-hot summer. The summer months have become two degrees warmer on average in the last 30 years.