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Free Copy: TR 94-01, Lillehammer 1994--An Olympic Climatology (PDF File)
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by Neal Lott, Physical Scientist
and Tom Ross, Meteorologist
January 1994
Norway is predominantly a rugged highland with extensive mountain
areas, long coastlines with deep fiords, and steep interior
valleys. Icefields and glaciers cover portions of the higher
elevations. Norway extends for about 1100 miles from south to
north between 58 and 71 degrees north latitude and has an area of
125,000 square miles (324,000 sq km)--about the size of New
Mexico. The highest mountains are located in the south (west of
Lillehammer) where numerous peaks exceed 6000 feet (1830 meters).
The mountains extend all the way to the coast in many sections,
forming deep fiords.
Lillehammer lies at an elevation of 794 feet (242 meters), but
with much higher elevations to the west. Lillehammer's northern
latitude of 61 degrees North restricts the amount and intensity
of sunlight during the winter months. The sun in February is low
on the horizon and the intensity of daylight is weak with the
maximum number of hours of daylight being seven. However, the
period of twilight is often protracted during clear sky
conditions.
The climate of Norway is primarily controlled by the moist winds
which often accompany storm systems moving in from the west.
These westerly winds are relatively warm due to their passage
across the waters of the North Atlantic. On average, the ocean
water temperature off coastal Norway is about 10 degrees
Fahrenheit (F) warmer than average for this latitude--a direct
influence of the Gulf Stream. These winds have their most
pronounced affect on the coast and along the western slopes of
the mountains. In these areas, precipitation is frequent and
often heavy, with rain often occurring along the coast and snow
falling in the mountains. Annual precipitation at some of these
locations often exceeds 80 inches (203 centimeters). In many
ways, this is similar to the Pacific Northwest coast and
mountains of the United States.
Due to the shielding affect of the mountains, interior Norway
(including Lillehammer) is less affected by these stormy
conditions. Higher pressures over interior Europe also tend to
block the movement and intensity of these weather systems.
However, the eastward moving storms still bring precipitation to
the inland areas. Occasionally during winter, the extremely cold
continental air mass which usually lies to the east of Norway
will drift westward across the country. However, the mountain
chain seldom permits the coldest air to reach the west coast.
During these cold outbreaks, temperatures in Lillehammer will dip
to below zero Fahrenheit, and sometimes remain below zero
throughout the day. Fortunately, skies are mostly clear and
winds are light during these severely cold events.
The following tables provide details about Lillehammer's February
climate. Lillehammer experiences generally light winds with
frequent but often light snowfall. Snowstorms do occasionally
occur and can produce snowfalls of 6 inches (15 centimeters) or
more in 1 to 2 days. One snowstorm in February of 1989 produced
14 inches (35 centimeters) of snow in 2 days. However, it is
important to remember that snowfall in the nearby mountains will
usually be much heavier than in Lillehammer itself. When light
snow is occurring in the town, heavy snow could be falling in the
mountains. Also, storminess is quite variable--the winters of
1990 through 1993 produced drier than normal conditions, while
this winter has thus far been much wetter than recent years over
Norway and much of Europe. Some of the storm systems which have
produced flooding rains over parts of Germany and France have
also produced snowstorms over southern Norway.
Temperatures in Lillehammer are quite variable in February, and
have ranged from as low as -19 F (-28 Celsius) to as high as 55 F
(13 Celsius) during the past 10 years. Although 17 and 27 F are
the average minimum and maximum temperatures for February, this
does not imply that most days will have temperatures near these
values. It is interesting to note that annual extremes during
the past 10 years have ranged from as low as -24 F (-31 Celsius)
to as high as 89 F (32 Celsius).
For further information, the reader may contact the National
Climatic Data Center (NCDC) in Asheville, NC. NCDC has
additional information about Norway and Lillehammer's climate
available upon request. Also, NCDC has digital datasets (e.g.,
magnetic tape, diskette) with climatic data for Norway. For
information and ordering instructions, please contact the Climate
Services Branch (phone 704-271-4800, fax 704-271-4876, internet
orders@ncdc.noaa.gov).
(Based on 10-year period--1984 to 1993)
('%' indicates % frequency of occurrence for the condition shown)
Winds:
Average speed - 4 knots (2 meters/second)
Maximum reported (sustained wind from hourly report, gusts
would be higher) - 27 knots (14 meters/second)
0-10 knots (0 - 5 meters/second) wind speed - 99% of time
N to NE winds bring coldest temperatures
S to SE winds bring warmest temperatures
Comments: Winds are usually light due to the 'blocking' affect
of the mountains to the west. Calm or near-calm conditions are
rather frequent during February. However, in the nearby
mountains where some of the Olympic events will be held, winds
will tend to be stronger. For example, climatic data for several
nearby locations reveal sustained winds occasionally exceeding 40
knots (21 meters/second) in February during the past 10 years.
Cloud Ceiling-Visibility:
Unlimited ceiling with at least 10 mile visibility - 36%
Ceiling at least 7000 feet - 37%
Ceiling at least 1000 feet - 86%
Visibility at least 10 miles - 72%
Cloud Coverage:
Clear Scattered Broken Overcast Obscuration
7 AM 13% 20% 23% 28% 15%
1 PM 8% 19% 45% 15% 14%
7 PM 11% 27% 31% 21% 10%
Overall 12% 22% 31% 24% 12%
Scattered = 1/8 to 4/8 coverage
Broken = 5/8 to 7/8 coverage
Overcast = 8/8 coverage
Obscuration = Obscuring phenomenon such as fog
Comments: As the above table indicates, the sky is either
overcast or obscured by fog approximately 36% of the time in
February. However, clear to partly cloudy (1/2 or less cloud
cover) conditions prevail about 34% of the time. The nearby
mountains tend to have more cloudiness.
Relative Humidity (mean):
7 AM - 91%
1 PM - 84%
7 PM - 85%
Overall - 87%
Comment: Relative humidities tend to be high due to cold
temperatures. However, this should not be taken to indicate a
prevalence for damp conditions.
Weather Conditions:
Rain/Drizzle Snow Precipitation Fog
7 AM 1% 16% 17% 11%
1 PM 4% 19% 21% 10%
7 PM 3% 15% 17% 7%
All hours 2% 17% 18% 9%
Daily 14% 65% 71% 34%
Comments: Precipitation (rain, drizzle, snow) is considered to
have occurred regardless of whether it was measurable. Light
snow (sometimes not measurable) occurs rather frequently in
Lillehammer. 'Daily' indicates the probability of occurrence of
each weather condition on any given day during the 1984-1993
period. February precipitation averages 1.22 inches (31 mm) in
melted form (i.e., rainfall plus melted snowfall).
Rain or drizzle occurs most often with winds from the SE or S.
Snow occurs most often with winds from the N, NE, S or SE.
Fog occurs most often with winds from the E, SE, S, or calm.
Snow Depth:
Average - 19 inches (48 cm)
Minimum observed - 0 inches in 1990
Maximum observed - 35 inches (89 cm) in 1988
Comment: Snow depths tend to be greater in the mountains. For
example, a nearby mountain location reported a depth of 48 inches
(122 cm) in February of 1988.
Temperature (mean, F = Fahrenheit, C = Celsius):
7 AM - 20 F (-7 C)
1 PM - 24 F (-4 C)
7 PM - 22 F (-6 C)
Overall - 22 F (-6 C)
Comment: These are mean temperatures but are highly variable
with a standard deviation of about 12 F.
Percent occurrence of temperatures of...
At least 0 F (-18 C) - 98%
At least 10 F (-12 C) - 85%
At least 20 F (-7 C) - 60%
At least 30 F (-1 C) - 29%
At least 40 F (4 C) - 4%
Maximum temperature observed: 55 F (13 C) in 1990
Minimum temperature observed: -19 F (-28 C) in 1985
Highest morning low temperature observed: 44 F (7 C) in 1990
Lowest afternoon high temperature observed: -8 F (-22 C) in 1985
Average maximum temperature: 27 F (-3 C)
Average minimum temperature: 17 F (-8 C)
Avg. number of days with minimum temperature below freezing: 25
Avg. number of days with minimum temperature below zero (F): 2
Dew Point Temperature (mean, F = Fahrenheit, C = Celsius):
7 AM - 17 F (-8 C)
1 PM - 19 F (-7 C)
7 PM - 18 F (-8 C)
Overall - 17 F (-8 C)
Comment: These are mean dew point temperatures but are highly
variable with a standard deviation of about 12 F.
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