City of Rain

Bergen has been nicknamed The City of Rain for its plentiful rainfall - annual precipitation is 2250 mm (88 inches) on average. Because the city is surrounded by mountains, the clouds can not get over easily and as a result there is more or less constant rain throughout the year. Rain is reflected in most aspects of the Bergensers daily lives.

Rainfall and sun

You will never fine a place in Norway where people light up and smile so quickly as in Bergen when the rain stops up and the sun shines. Just a few hours of sun break is enough for "Bergenserne " to get out of their houses and take on a hiking trip to Fløyen or just a stroll around the city centre and enjoy their beautiful and special town. Because of the amount of wind and closeness to the North Sea, the weather is always changing very fast so you can often get a glimpse of the sun even on a rainy day. A raincoat is to reccomend since the wind blows the rain sideways and an umbrella don't have much effect.

Rapidly shifting weather conditions beteeen rain, sun, wind and fast moving clouds combined with contrasts between mountains, city and sea makes Bergen a unique place to live and visit!

From the steep angle of the roofs on traditional houses and the rustling waterproof clothing of the inhabitants to more than twenty local words to describe rain, there are many signs of how people in Bergen handle the heavy rainfall.

Webcams Bergen:

Bryggen

Torgallmenningen

The Fish Market

Chr. Michelsens Street

Rain fell every day between October 29, 2006 and January 21, 2007, 85 consecutive days. In the winter, Bergen is one of the warmest cities in Norway, thanks to the Gulf Stream; 10 °C (50°F) and rain can happen in both January and July. The highest temperature ever recorded was 31.8 °C (90°F), a record that dates back to 1947. The lowest ever recorded is -16.3 °C (61°F), in 1987.

The high amount of rain is often used in the marketing of the city, and figures to a degree on postcards sold in the city. For a period of time there were umbrella vending machines in the city, but these did not turn out to be a success.

The local newspaper Bergens Tidende could report in 2008 that Bergen was NOT the city of rain after all: According to statistics done by the European Commission, Bergen is the 22nd city in Europe with most days of rain per year with cities like Cologne, Glasgow and Manchester ranging with more rain per year.

In any case, you will find a very high density of shops, cafees, restaurants, museums and galleries in the city of rain, so there is always a place to go if the rain gets on your nerves.

If you are interested in statistics about the rain and weather in Bergen, you can check the statistics from the weather station "Florida" 1km away from Bergen.

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Bergen Oil Industry