Residents along the southern coast of Norway were being told to brace for yet another severe storm that meteorologists warned would include hurricane-strength winds. The storm was expected to hit hardest Tuesday evening and rage through the night.
Officials in southern Rogaland County and Vest-Agder were also warning residents and spectators to stay away from the rocky coastlines. The historic lighthouse at Lindesnes on the southern tip of Norway has become a popular spot for storm-viewing, but with waves crashing at 20 meters or more, it was also dangerous.
“Especially in the dark,” one local official at Lindesnes told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK). Three persons out filming a storm north of Lindesnes were swept out to sea in November. Only one survived.
‘Emil’ will get ‘worse and worse’
The new storm was called Emil and was due to hit while residents further north along the coast are still cleaning up after hurricane Dagmar struck on Christmas Day. Southern and western Norway have been badly battered by storms over the past several weeks and Emil prompted another warning of “extreme weather” on Tuesday.
“It will hit the hardest along the coast of Vest-Agder, but nearby coastal districts will also have powerful winds,” state meteorologist Bjart Eriksen told weather website yr.no.
Winds and rain would build up throughout the afternoon, Eriksen said, “and just get worse and worse.”
The storm, moving in from Scotland, was already being felt by mid-day on Tuesday and it was raining as far north as Oslo, too. Residents of southern Norway (Sørlandet) were being urged to secure all loose items around their properties, shutter windows and remain indoors during the night.
Sea levels due to rise
Eriksen said that waves were expected to rise to eight to 12 meters on average, meaning that some could be twice as high. “Emil will bring high waves, the highest over 20 meters,” Eriksen told yr.no. “There will also be a lot of rain, and sleet, along the coast.”
Sea levels along the coast were also due to rise, peaking on Wednesday night and early Thursday, when they were expected to be 60-100 centimeters over heights published in tidal tables.
Views and News from Norway/Nina Berglund
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