A sudden and intense combination of lightning, thunder, heavy rain and extremely strong winds caused more damage just after 4pm in Oslo. Trees were torn down all over the city, including a stately old oak in the park at Sofienberg.
“We got reports that trees were knocked down and roof panels were blown off houses,” Tore Solberg, operations leader for the Oslo Police District told state broadcaster NRK. “The most dramatic was the tree in Sofienbergparken.” Solberg said it fell over three cars parked under it and there were initial fears that people may have been injured as well. The weather had been sunny and warm, with lots of Oslo residents heading outdoors on Friday afternoon, but no injuries were reported.
At least one road in the hills at Grefsen was blocked by fallen trees, where a powerline was also torn down. The wind caused the most damage and left lots of debris in its wake. It also set off alarms at the outdoor Mela Festival that had just opened on the City Hall Plaza, halting a concert.
The storm, which followed extreme weather just last weekend, blew over almost as quickly as it hit, with clear blue skies, sunshine and calm returning by 5:30pm. State meteorologists forecast more unstable weather through the weekend.
newsinenglish.no staff
