Let’s be honest. When you live in Trøndelag, you don’t pack for summer with the same blind optimism as your southern counterparts. You know better. You've learned to keep a raincoat in the same drawer as your bathing suit, just in case. Because here, summer is often a fleeting whisper, a two-day miracle sandwiched between sleet and mild despair.

But this year?

This year, the summer gods gave us a plot twist.

2025 delivered a Trønder summer so hot it made history, and possibly a few people faint. What started as a warm June surprise has now turned into a full-blown tropical affair. Not just warm-for-us hot. We’re talking bake-your-skin-on-the-bench, sleep-with-the-freezer-door-open, drink-melted-ice-cream-with-a-straw kind of hot.

Yes, you read that right: Tropical summer waves in Trøndelag. It’s a phrase we never thought we'd write without irony. But here we are.

Ice Cream became gold!

The first signs were subtle. People started walking around in shorts without looking uncertain. The fjord shimmered, not with wind—but with the unmistakable stillness of heat. Then came the vanishing of the beloved isdisken (ice cream freezer). First at Bunnpris. Then Coop. Then even the little kiosk down the street with the weird opening hours.

Gone. All of it. As if Trønders everywhere simultaneously rediscovered joy in frozen dairy.

Forget cryptocurrency. In July 2025, the real currency was Krone-Is and Daim.

Air Conditioners? LOL. Try Next Year.

 You know it's serious when the traditionally frost-hardened Trønder begins to say:

"Æ må kjøp mæ ei vifte."

 Or more drastically:

"Æ trur vi må ha air condition."

But alas, by the time we all reached that conclusion, it was too late. Every fan, aircon unit, and makeshift cooling system from Namsos to Oppdal was gone. Sold out. On backorder. Some were allegedly being auctioned off on Finn.no like rare relics.

From skepticism to sunburn

Something magical happened, though. People started swimming without hesitation. Beaches filled up with towels, radio music, and overheated dogs. Facebook groups were flooded with people asking for tips:

"Kor e det varmest i dag?"

"Nån som veit om ein badeplass med skygge?"

Even the skeptics among us gave in. There were reports of sunburns in Levanger, tan lines in Røros, and people in Trondheim walking around looking slightly dazed—sun-drunk and delighted.

But Let’s Be Real…

 We're not built for this. Most Trønder homes were designed to trap heat, not escape it. And our beloved wool socks and fleece habits? Not very heatwave-friendly. We've had to unlearn everything: how to dress, when to sleep, and how many times it’s acceptable to shower per day (answer: unlimited).

But despite the sleepless nights and the quiet weeping for more ice cream, we have to admit: this heatwave has made us feel a little more alive.

The fjord has never looked better. The kids are laughing in sprinklers. The elderly are sitting outside long past 10 p.m., watching the sun hover at the horizon. And for once, we don’t need to travel south to feel summer on our skin.

A Summer to Remember

 No one knows how long it will last. It might all end tomorrow, with thunder and hail and a collective sigh of, "There’s the Trønder summer we know." But until then, we’ll keep soaking it in, squinting at the sun like it’s an old friend we never expected to return.

So here’s to sold-out ice creams, nonexistent fans, and the glorious absurdity of a tropical Trøndelag.

Let’s mark this one in the books. The summer we didn’t see coming, but will never forget.

Until next time,

Yours truly

T. Winther