The essential vocabulary for talking about the weather in Norway
With weather that can swing between all four seasons in a single day, especially in the east and the west of the country, Norwegians have developed a rich vocabulary to describe everything from glorious (and, at times, rare) sunshine to sideways sleet.
Whether making small talk or just surviving your first wet autumn, mastering these weather-related words and phrases will help you sound like a local – and understand what everyone else is complaining about.
READ MORE:
How many ways can you say 'hello' in Norwegian?
The national "weather" motos
A classic saying that you'll hear again and again, especially in cities such as Bergen or Trondheim, which get a lot of rain, is
Det finnes ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlige klær
(There's no bad weather, only bad clothing).
It's basically the national motto from October through April and a reminder to always have a windbreaker or
regnjakke
(raincoat) on hand.
The fallback weather motto that parts of the country live by is
Hvis du venter på fint vær, vil du aldri forlate huset.
(If you wait for nice weather, you'll never leave the house).
But that's just the beginning.
The Norwegian language has dozens of descriptive words for the ever-changing weather, and knowing them can make daily life a little more
hyggelig
(enjoyable).
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The basics
Let's start with the basics: the four seasons, or
årstider
–
vår
(spring),
sommer
(summer),
høst
(autumn), and
vinter
(winter).
Summer
In summer, everyone hopes for
fint vær
(nice weather), with
solskinn
(sunshine) and maybe even some
badetemperaturer
(swimming-friendly temperatures) – if you're not based in the north of the country, that is.
A true Norwegian summer dream includes
grillvær
(barbecue weather) when hordes of locals swarm parks and any and all available green surfaces and fire up disposable grills (
engangsgrills
).
But even in July, don't count out a sudden
regnbyge
(rain shower) or
tordenvær
(thunderstorm). If you're lucky, it might end with a
regnbue
(rainbow).
A particularly hot stretch of days might be called a
hetebølge
(heatwave), although Norwegians will probably still call 25°C
ekstremt varmt
(extremely hot).
READ MORE:
Strange noises you can make in Norwegian to sound like a local
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Autumn
As
høsten
rolls in, the weather becomes
grått og trist
(grey and gloomy), and you'll definitely need your
paraply
(umbrella) and
gummistøvler
(rubber boots).
Expect
vindkast
(gusts of wind) and the occasional
skylleregn
(heavy rain).
You'll also encounter
tåke
(fog), especially in valleys, between mountains, and coastal regions. On chillier days, you might notice
rim
(frost) forming on the ground or trees, a beautiful yet slippery sign that winter is near.
Winter
Come
vinter
, and it's all about
snø
(snow). There are many variations:
snøfnugg
(snowflakes),
snøstorm
(snowstorm),
snøfokk
(blowing snow), and
snøskred
(avalanche).
If schools close because of a snowstorm, it's called a
snødag
(snow day). When the snow starts to melt, the term
slaps
(slush) becomes your least favourite word.
Another frustrating winter term is
holke
– the dreaded black ice that covers pavements and roads and has sent many a pedestrian slipping toward the concrete.
Combine that with some biting
kuldegrader
(sub-zero temperatures), and you'll understand why Norwegians invest in good boots and
brodder
(spikes for shoes).
READ MORE:
Winter vocab: The many, many Norwegian words for ice
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Spring
When spring finally arrives, people begin to speak joyfully about
plussgrader
(above-zero temperatures).
It's a national relief to shed the
vinterklær
(winter clothing) and bring out the
solbriller
(sunglasses) again – even if you're still carrying a
regnjakke
, just in case.
READ MORE:
The most common mistakes you are likely to make when learning Norwegian
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