NARRATIVE DISCUSSION

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).
 LILLEHAMMER, NORWAY CLIMATIC SUMMARY FOR FEBRUARY

 (Based on 10-year period--1984 to 1993)

('%' indicates % frequency of occurrence for the condition shown)

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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.

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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%

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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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

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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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