Oslo - Climate

Seasonal Climate  
Temperatures in Oslo are relatively cold between October and April, the coldest months being December, January and February, when the days are short and the temperature can go down to - 20 Celsius. With a wind chill, this can feel very cold. In the coldest winter months, there is day light between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Depending on the weather, the daylight might not be very bright. It is useful to have reflectors on your clothes and you are required by law to keep the light on your car all day. Snow can fall from October to April, and with varying temperatures the snow will melt and refreeze several times during the winter, which could make the roads rather slippery (see Transport for what to do with your car). In the autumn months of October and November, it may rain rather than snow.
The summer months of June, July and August have long and bright days, and temperatures can come up to 25 degrees Celsius. This brings people out to the beaches and many will swim in the fjord and lakes when the water holds temperatures of 16 to 18 degrees Celsius

Climate facts
Temperatures in Oslo are relatively cold between October and April, the coldest months being December, January and February, when the days are short and the temperature can go down to - 20 Celsius. With a wind chill, this can feel very cold. In the coldest winter months, there is day light between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Depending on the weather, the daylight might not be very bright. It is useful to have reflectors on your clothes and you are required by law to keep the light on your car all day. Snow can fall from October to April, and with varying temperatures the snow will melt and refreeze several times during the winter, which could make the roads rather slippery (see Transport for what to do with your car). In the autumn months of October and November, it may rain rather than snow.
The summer months of June, July and August have long and bright days and temperatures can come up to 25 degrees Celsius. This brings people out to the beaches and many will swim in the fjord and lakes when the water holds temperatures of 16 to 18 degrees Celsius.

For more information on weather and climate in Norway, contact the Norwegian Meteorological Institute in Oslo at:

• Det Norske Meteorologiske Institutt
  Niels Henrik Abelsv. 40
  Oslo
  Norway
  Tel: + 47 (22) 96 3000 or + 47 (820) 53 000 (for weather forecasts)
  website: www.dnmi.no

Clothing suggestions  Clothes for a cold climate
In the cold winter, it is essential to keep dry and active. To keep warm, you need several layers of clothing: Woolen or thermal underwear, thick woolen socks, boots, preferably leather, gloves or mittens, a woolen hat and a scarf, and a wind proof and insulated coat. The children will need an all-in-one snowsuit ( parkdress ), to prevent snow and ice from coming in between layers of clothes. Make sure you buy a suit with fleece lining (ask for Helly Hansen when you buy warm and waterproof clothing). Remember to buy waterproof garments big enough to go over the clothes. There are some good waterproof boots ( støvler ) for children (ask for Cherrox when you buy winter boots for young children) with warm fleece padding. A good tip is to use clips or strings to attach the mittens to the sleeve of the snowsuit, so they don't loose them. As the daylight is short in the winter days, the children should put reflectors on their clothes. For children who like to play outside a lot, a cold blocker cream ( kuldekrem ) with a high fat content is useful to put on their face, to protect against damage to their skin in the cold weather.

All clothes shops will have a good selection of winter clothes already in August. Sport shops also stock very good and practical clothing for the winter (see Sport shopping). There are several shops that sell second hand clothes ( brukte klær ) in good condition for children. Look under Brukte Klær on the yellow pages in the phone book or online at:
website: www.gulesider.no .
Shoes ( sko ) come in European and American sizes. Make sure you buy winter shoes/boots with a thick sole and a woolen innersole. To help you walk on icy surfaces, a useful tip is to fit your boots with metal studs ( brodder ), in order to get a better grip when you walk. You can buy this in sport shops and some shoe shops.
For information about where to buy clothes, see Clothing.