Weather Bergen , Norway
Bergen is one of Norway's most scenic and historic cities. The medieval wharf has earned Bergen a spot in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Bergen is a coastal city on the west coast of Norway and is surrounded by fjords to the north, west, and south, and mountains immediately to the east. Larger islands to the west of Bergen shield it from some of the more intense weather that can sweep in from the North Sea.
Because of Bergen's location on the sea and surrounding geography, it has a temperate oceanic climate. The weather is characterized by large amounts of precipitation, temperatures that rarely go below freezing, and daily temperature ranges that are very close to each other. It is one of the warmest cities in Norway. Bergen does have four distinct seasons.
The summer months of July and August are often the most popular months to visit Bergen. Shoulder months of May, June, September, and October can be popular too, with May being a great choice thanks to it being the driest month. Winter rains are usually enough to keep tourists away from November to March.
The weather in Bergen is very similar to Vancouver, Canada, though Bergen does get significantly more rain. It is difficult to compare Bergen's climate to any other city in the world. They average over 2,250mm of rain every year. The rain is what defines Bergen, and their rainfall totals are even used in marketing materials.
There is really no "extreme" weather in Bergen, unless you count the average rainfall. Average rainfall amounts have been increasing through the years, however, and this has caused some flooding and landslides.
Summer Weather in Bergen
The short summers in Bergen typically last from late June to late August. A typical summer day in Bergen averages 18°C and will most likely see rain. Nights don't cool down too much though; the average night temperatures are 12°C. Winds are at their lowest average in July at 2.9 m/s. Record temperatures in the summer include a high of 31.8°C and a low of 2.5°C.
Because of the high northern latitudes, Bergen's longest day in June lasts just over 19 hours. But it's nothing like Opnan, Norway, where the sun never sets in summer. With all of that daylight, however, Bergen still only gets an average of 8 hours of sunshine in the peak of summer. The skies will still be cloudy and producing significant rain. Rainfall totals in the summer are between 150mm-200mm each month.
The long days and warmer temperatures make summer a great time for the many outdoor activities in and around Bergen. There are many mountains to climb, hiking trails to explore, and fjords to see. It's just going to rain. Rain is a way of life in Bergen and there's no way to escape it.
Autumn Weather in Bergen
Temperatures rapidly drop and rainfall increases during autumn months. Average temperatures fall from 17°C in August to 11°C in October. Rainfall amounts increase to 240mm in October. Winds start to pick up to 4.0 m/s, more clouds move in, and the days will decrease to just over eight hours long by the end of October.
Autumn is still a beautiful season in Bergen. There are many parks and green spaces that have a colorful display of changing leaf colors. Because of the decrease in tourism, however, many of the smaller museums and galleries will shut down until Christmas or early spring.
Winter Weather in Bergen
It would be unfair to say that winter is the "wet season" in Bergen, because every month in Bergen is wet. December and January are the wettest months in Bergen though, averaging around 260mm of rain each. It does occasionally snow in the city, but average temperatures often stay right at or slightly above freezing. When it does snow it will usually melt quickly unless there is a strong cold front moving through. The mountains surrounding Bergen are usually cold enough to hold snow.
Average temperatures hover right around 2°C to 3°C between December and February. Bergen's unique climate means that the temperature spread will be the smallest of the year in the winter. Days average 3°C to 4°C and nights 0°C to 1°C. High humidity levels and increasing winds will make the air feel significantly colder. The record low in Bergen was -16.3°C.
Winter is also quite dark in Bergen. The shortest day of the year is on December 21st, when the day is only 5 hours 44 minutes long. Increasing cloud cover, which averages 75% in December & January, will mean that you'll usually only get one hour of sunshine every day, on average.
You can take advantage of the long nights by going on a Northern Lights expedition. The Northern Lights do occur frequently above Bergen, but it's usually too cloudy to see them. There are, thankfully, some outfitters that will take you further inland where you have a clear sky and better chances of seeing the Aurora.
There are also a couple of ski resorts within two hours of Bergen.
Spring Weather in Bergen
Spring, like autumn, is a very colorful season in Bergen. The flowers start to bloom in the many city parks, and there are some impressive tulip gardens throughout the city.
Spring is characterized by rapidly increasing temperatures. The average temperature warms up significantly between February, when it was only 2°C, to May when it increases to 11°C.
The dry season in Bergen also happens in spring. "Dry" means only an average of 100mm of rain in May. There is a significant drop in the amount of rainfall between late March to May, and a corresponding increase from May to July.
If you don't mind that May isn't the warmest season in Bergen, the drier skies make it a great time to visit. Check to see if you can get any travel deals.