UPDATED: Meteorologists warned that another major storm with heavy rain was due to sweep in from the North Sea and hit western Norway on Wednesday. It certainly did, and warnings remained for floods and landslide danger.
The storm brought wind, torrential rain and lightning that knocked out power in many areas, including lights inside some tunnels in Nordland County and along several roads. That made driving even more hazardous in the darkness that now lasts much of the day in the northern areas of Norway.
State broadcaster NRK reported several accidents on dark, slippery roads in Nordland and Nord-Trøndelag on Wednesday. Jørgen Grønneberg, a meteorologist at Værvarslinga in western Norway, had warned that outermost coastal areas would be hit the hardest, but the storm was felt inland as well.
“Away from the coast, there will still be rough weather and winds can gust up to storm levels,” Grønneberg said, “but it shouldn’t be as strong.”
He warned the Trondheim area to brace for heavy rain, especially north of Trondheim, with up to 70 millimeters expected during the day on Wednesday. Precipitation was predicted to come in the form of snow farther inland and at higher elevations on 800 to 1,000 meters.
Norway’s state agency in charge of waterways also warned of potential flooding caused by the heavy rainfall and melting snow. “Creeks and rivers with lots of water in them already are especially prone (to flooding),” NVE stated in its warning on Tuesday. Communities were advised to make sure grates and drains were clear of debris and as prepared as possible to handle large amounts of water.
Flood warnings were issued for the Trøndelag and Nordland counties, with waters also due to rise in the Trondheimsfjord.
Traffic problems also extended south to Oslo’s main airport at Gardermoen Wednesday morning, where thick fog delayed airline traffic by as much as an hour. The heavy fog also covered the Oslo Fjord and most low-lying areas in and around the capital, but much of it had lifted by mid-day.
newsinenglish.no staff
