Weather capers in Spitsbergen

The last days have seen some rather unusual weather phenomena in Spitsbergen. On Monday (January 30), Longyearbyen was the warmest place in Norway with 4 degrees centigrade above freezing. 26,5 mm of rain did not make it more enjoyable, and as a consequence, several roads had to be closed due to a strongly increased avalanche risk and a landing at the airport had to be cancelled due to slickness.

The rain was nothing compared to Ny Ålesund, where a considerable 98 mm were measured within 24 hours, which is clearly a local record. The warmest day measured in Spitsbergen so far in January was however January 01, 2006, when the mercury went up to 7,7 degrees. In comparison, one year ago (January 30, 2011) it was as cold as 31,5 degrees below zero.

Changing weather with cold and warm spells is typical for the cold season, but the recent warm phase is unusually long and intense.

Source: Svalbardposten