User:StephenHudson/TromsøClimate

Climate
Tromsø experiences a subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dfc) because winter temperatures are just cold enough to qualify and the summer season is short. However, the weather and precipitation amount and pattern, with maximum precipitation in autumn and early winter, as well as lack of permafrost, are atypical for subarctic areas. Tromsø has a reputation in Norway for getting a lot of snow in the winter, although there is a lot of variation from year to year. The all-time record for snow depth was set on 29 April 1997, when the meteorological station on top of Tromsøya recorded 240 cm of snow on the ground. The lowest temperature ever recorded is -18.4 C, in February 1966. However, the January average daily maximum is -2.2 C. Tromsø's warm climate, relative to other locations at the same latitude, is often attributed to the relatively warm North Atlantic Current, an extension of the Gulf Stream, but it has been shown that northern Europe's mild climate is caused primarily by intercontinental weather patterns driven by North America's mountain ranges. The ocean currents and close proximity to the coast do play smaller roles in causing the large anomaly along the coast of northern Norway. Summers are rather cool, with average high and low temperature in July of 15.3 C and 8.7 C. The highest temperature ever recorded is 30.2 C, in July 1972. Outside the city, large areas in the municipality are above the treeline and have an alpine tundra climate.