Where did the snow go? - January 2020 sets yet another heat record in Norway with ...

... 6C warmer average temperature than usual.

Currently spending a much needed relaxed weekend at the family cabin with Shiva (dog in the picture). While I'm usually not the kind of person to let the weather bother me (I mean, why choose to be bothered when you can instead just enjoy a book, some good food, or write a new Steem article indoors?), seeing the current state of the winter retreat we've enjoyed for the past 23 years was rather depressing.

January is usually a month of heavy snowfall and biting cold that set the conditions for the snow to last all the way to May/June. In past years, going to the cabin during this month would often mean having to dig our way down through meters of snow to find the entrance door to the cabin, or uncomfortable cold down to minus 10-20 degrees Celsius. This weekend, however, the temperatures have been all positive, usually around 5-7 degrees with pouring rain and visibly melting snow...

So while most of the world's news seem to be mostly dominated by status reports on the threat of the Corona virus, our news ask local ski resorts whether or not they believe the resorts will be able to open this year, if they have any backup plans, and how it will affect their business. Even the national cross-country-skiing competition has had to move tonnes of snow from the northernmost parts of the country down to where the competition is held annually in order to have a track.

So while I'm enjoying the weekend here, it's not without concern for whether or not it is a an experience I'll be able to have for years to come.