Yet another storm accompanied by extremely high seas and tides were already setting in along Norway’s West Coast on Wednesday. “The water levels will be even higher than we thought,” said state meteorologist Anne-Mette Olsen as the extreme weather system known as Vidar threatened property damage.
“I think a lot of people will have problems with water pouring in,” Olsen told weather service yr.no when updating warnings about Vidar, which was expected to move in over the counties of Rogaland, Hordaland and Sogn og Fjordane.
“I hope folks manage to prepare for this before it gets dark,” Olsen added.
She said the rising seas known as spring flo in Norway were threatening areas from Bergen’s famed wooden wharf known as Bryggen to boat harbours all along the coast. At one, near the Kvassheim Lighthouse at Hå in Jæren, a harbour pier was already underwater with boats tied up to it floating above their moorings.
“This kind of flo is something we only experience every 20 years, if our predictions are correct,” Olsen told yr.no. “It’s mostly the material damage I’m worried about this time.” She nonetheless advised people to be very careful if they venture near the coast: Strong winds and high waves can wash them out to sea.
Strong winds and full storm were predicted along with the high waves. Rising sea levels weren’t expected to top out until sometime Thursday morning, likely from 9-11:30 am.
Sea levels were also expected to be much higher than normal along the southern coast (Sørlandet) and waterfront areas from Oslo south to Fredrikstad, also in the north between Stad and Rørvik.
The central West Coast was due for the worst, with sea levels in and around Bergen, Stavanger and Måløy rising as much as 225 centimeters over normal.
newsinenglish.no staff
