Winter That Did Not Arrive
Winter in Norway and above the Arctic Circle was once inhospitable and hard. Snow arrived early, rain turned to ice, and cold shaped movement, memory, and daily life. During twelve days in northern Norway, winter appeared only on the calendar. Temperatures stayed above freezing, snowfall never came, and rain never followed, conditions consistent with what scientists now describe as the warmest year on record across much of the Arctic. Locals spoke of how unusual the season felt, aware that such warmth no longer stands as an anomaly but as part of a widening pattern. Roads and coastlines normally locked under snow lay exposed, revealing how deeply winter once concealed the land itself. Climate change often enters public discussion through charts and projections, yet here it appeared as an indisputable fact. The missing winter offered quiet, unmistakable evidence that global warming is real, turning even Christmas into a season without snow.
Further Reading
Northern Norway - on my way to Artic Circle, Dec 2025.