Blizzards accompanied by strong winds forced closure of Norway’s gateway airport north of Oslo on Saturday. The storm also toppled trees, shut down public transport systems and cut power to thousands of homes.
It was snowing horizontally in most areas because of the strong winds that made it dangerous for aircraft to land and take off at OSL Gardermoen. The airport was closed for around four hours, with takeoffs finally allowed after 2pm and landings from 4pm.
Power was also restored by late afternoon to thousands of households in six communities in Romerike, but bus and tram service in the capital was disrupted after the winds blew down trees that landed on parked cars and tram tracks in Oslo. Police also reported several serious traffic accidents in Holmestrand, Sør-Odal, Tønsberg, Kristiansand, Nærøysund and Enebakk that closed roads and highways.
Most all roads over the mountains of Southern Norway were closed along with many in Northern Norway, including the E6 Skaidi-Olderfjord, E69 Hønsa-Honningsvåg and Kvalsund Bridge-Hammerfest. Avalanche danger was high, with warnings posted in Vest-Finnmark, Lyngen, Sør-Troms, Lofoten and Vesterålen.
NewsinEnglish.no staff
