The terrible weather moves in - villages are cut off

 

 
Norway
Terrible weather in Norway: Kristeam in several municipalities

Nora Fernstedt

Published 00.13

Heavy snowfall and gale force winds have made many roads impassable. Photo: Vegtrafikksentralen

It's storming hard in western Norway.

Many roads are closed - and entire villages are cordoned off.

- Those who live in Odda are not going anywhere, says road manager Ronny Sleire to VG.

 

            

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A storm has hit mainly western Norway on Sunday evening.

- There is a lot of weather, a lot of water, a lot of wind, risk of race and race, says traffic operator Jenny Nilsson when she summarizes the situation for Dagbladet.

During Sunday evening, six landslides occurred on roads in Western Norway and the police are warning of "extremely bad weather".

A yellow warning for landslides has been issued in the middle and inner parts of Western Norway and is valid until Monday morning. The police advise against driving in the risk areas. There is no information yet that anyone was injured in connection with the landslide.

A yellow rain warning has also been issued in Vestland County. Large amounts have fallen during Sunday. Gullfjellet near Bergen had the most – 100.9 millimeters of rain fell there on Sunday.

Pictures show how trees have fallen across roads.

A large tree blocks a road near the village of Leikanger. Photo: Sogndal Municipality

27 roads closed

At 11 p.m., 27 roads were closed in the area. The village of Odda, with approximately 5,000 inhabitants, cannot be reached or left at the moment.

In the worst case, the roads will not be opened until daylight on Monday. The high school will remain closed.

- For some in Odda, it can be difficult to get to work, you should keep an eye on it during the day tomorrow, says road operator Ronny Sleire to VG.

Boats from the Red Cross are on their way to be able to take people away in an emergency.

The municipality has put together a crisis team, which other municipalities have also done.

Among other things, Eidfjord, which has been blocked off after several landslides.

- It's not so nice to be isolated, but it's not the first time either, says the municipality's mayor, Timo Knoch.

The landslide on Vikafjellet has been caught on a road camera. Photo: Statens Vegvesen

Risk of storm in Sweden

In Sweden,  SMHI has issued several wind warnings during the night towards Monday. The winds can reach a strength of up to 25 meters per second, which is considered storm force.

They apply to large parts of Götaland and southernmost Svealand and Gotland.

Yellow warnings for wind combined with snowfall on Kalfjällen have also been issued in Jämtland, Laplandfjällen, Dalarna and Härjedalen.