Norwegians were dealing once again with lots more snow and freezing temperatures this week, as yet another cold front hit the country from north to south. Heavy snow closed airports in both Bergen and Stavanger on Tuesday, helicopter transport to offshore oil installations was severely disrupted and residents of southern and eastern Norway were urged to stay home on Wednesday.
“We’re asking our passengers to seriously evaluate whether it’s absolutely necessary to travel on Wednesday,” announced railway Vy that carries the vast majority of commuters in the Oslo area. Vy said it was already cancelling several rush-hour departures to make the rest of the week a bit more predictable.
The problem is extremely low temperatures, as many as 40 centimeters of snow in some areas and strong winds. That’s what also forced runway closures in Bergen on Tuesday: “As soon as the crews cleared a runway, the snow builds up so fast it has to be cleared again,” a spokeswoman at Bergen’s Flesland airport told state broadcaster NRK.
Bus lines also had to cancel departures, both because of difficult driving conditions and flat batteries on electric buses, while police warned of extremely slippery roads and difficult driving conditions all over Vestlandet (Western Norway). Meteorologists predicted heavy snow during the night in Agder, Vestfold, Telemark and southern portions of Østfold.
NewsinEnglish.no staff
