Fl¥m is a small village in the town of Aurland in the Norwegian
county of Sogn og Fjordane. It is located at the inner end of Aurlandsfjord, a
tributary of the 204 kilometre long and 1,308 meter deep Sognafjord,
the worldâs longest and deepest fjord. It lies at 60°50â17âN latitude and
7°7â14âE longitude.
Lying around 200 kilometres inland from the western coast of Norway, Flam is a valley surrounded by steep mountain sides and deep ravines giving it a spectacular landscape. It is an ideal holiday destination with astounding natural beauty.
With appealing weather during the summer and stunning scenery, Flam draws thousands of visitors each year. Luxury cruise ships including RMS Queen Mary II have become a common sight at the inner end of Aurlandsfjord leading to Fl¥m harbour, making the harbour a favourite port of call within the area.
Climate
The general climate in this region of south central Norway, which includes the area surrounding Fl¥m and Aurland, is basically a temperate inland climate with naturally warm summers and mild winters. Flam is definitely one of the driest regions in Norway. It has an average of 470mm (19.5in) of precipitation every year.
Summer
The cool summer season at the village of Fl¥m and its
surrounding area has an average temperature of 10°C (50°F), which can rise up
to 14°C (57.2°F) during the daytime. However, in recent years, the maximum
temperature has been continuously rising, and in some instances has reached
24°C (75.2°F) during the mid-summer month. Though there is a marked increase in
the maximum temperature of Flam, the cooling effect of the canopy of steep
mountains, together with the long daylights, makes Fl¥m a haven for outdoor
lovers.
Visitors can expect long daytime hours in Flam during the
summer, indeed, daytime hours can reach up to 17.6 hours per day thanks to Fl¥mâs
location at the northern face of the earth, which is tilted half of the year
toward the sun. However, even with long days during the summer season, the
valley still receives limited amount of direct sunshine averaging just around 7
hours a day.
Considered one of the driest places in Norway, Fl¥m has its fair share of a limited amount of drizzle during summer months. Flam has a monthly average of 139mm (5.5in) of rainfall, which basically means that it has about 18 days of cloudy skies and rain during the whole season of summer.
Autumn
In this region of Norway, the season of autumn is
brisk and short. The month of September brings a dramatic drop in temperature, especially
during nighttime. During the autumn season, there is a steady increase in the monthly
rainfall average of about 168mm (6.6in) of rainfall specifically in mid-autumn.
As the season progresses, the appearance of rain clouds becomes more frequent
averaging 22 days of rain per month during mid-autumn, until the early part of
winter. This is largely due to the high precipitation average.
The number of daylight hours drops significantly to an average of 10 hours per day as the northern part of the globe is tilted away from the sun, and this goes on until mid-winter. The ever increasing density of cloud, which hovers over the horizon, together with the reduced number of daylight hours per day, often results to a limited exposure of the area to the sun from mid-autumn until mid-winter.
Winter
Flamâs winter season tends to be longer than average, which is typical of areas in the northern latitude. During winter, temperatures may drop to sub-zero during early November. This subzero temperature can last until the early days of April. In the middle of November, the temperature in the region has been dropping significantly to a mean average of -3.5°C (25°F) to -7°C (19.4°F). Likewise, the precipitation during this period is at its highest sometimes reaching around 200mm or about 8in. Frost and snow is a fairly common occurrence. However, compared with other places of the same latitude, frost and snow are generally limited. Winter weather in Fl¥m is best described as mild due to the presence of warm sea water at the Aurlandsfjord.
As the northern part of the globe is tilted farther away from the sun during the cold season, night time at Fl¥m and its surrounding area becomes much longer. Winter day time averages around 7 hours and shrinks further to barely 6 hours in the mid-winter. During winter, outdoor activities are limited within the villageâs vicinity as avalanches become usual occurrences in the mountains.
Spring
As the Earth turns its northern face towards the sun, the gradual warming of the temperature becomes apparent in early spring as the warm light of the sun slowly thaws the region once more. From an average of -4°C (28.4°F) in the early spring, temperature climbs up steadily until it reaches 4°C (39.2°F) in May. As the season progresses, daytime hours steadily increase from 9 hours during late winter to around 17 hours of daylight in May. Springtime in Fl¥m is favourable for outdoor activities as it has the least amount of precipitation within a year.