Lisø PhD Dissertation Manuscript - NTNU

temperature of -4°C or less. See Fig. 1 for an illustration of the Norwegian climate
according to the Köppen climate classification system.
Fig. 1. The climate of Norway based on the Köppen climate classification system. The map is developed by
the Norwegian Meteorological Institute (www.met.no), using weather data (annual and monthly averages of
temperature and precipitation) from the reference 30-year period 1961–1990.
There are also large differences in the normal annual precipitation in Norway. The
largest normal annual precipitation is found some miles from the coast of Western Norway.
These amounts are also among the highest in Europe. Brekke in Sogn og Fjordane County
has an annual normal precipitation of 3575 mm, and several other stations in this area
follow close behind. Brekke has also the record for one-year precipitation, with 5596 mm
in 1990. The inner part of Østlandet, the Finnmark Plateau, and some smaller areas near
the Swedish border, are all lee areas in relation to the large weather systems mainly coming
from the west. Common for these areas is the low annual precipitation and that showery
Page 2 of 13