Norway battered by strong winds and rising waters as Storm Vidar arrives
NTB/The Local - [email protected]
Published: 11 Jan, 2017 CET.
Updated: Wed 11 Jan 2017 11:56 CET
A storm dubbed Vidar hit Western Norway south of Stad on Wednesday morning, bring reports of extremely high water.
An official storm warning has been issued for Rogaland, Hordaland and Sogn og Fjordane.
By Thursday morning, water levels are expected to be 70 to 85cm above normal, according to the Meteorological Institute. Such water level rises only statistically occur around once every 20 years.
The Meteorological Institute said that the high water levels have the potential to cause severe damage in Western Norway.
“I think that a good number of people will have problems with water getting in. Not just a few places, but many. This is something we only experience every twenty years if the warnings turn out to vote,” said state meteorologist Anne-Mette Olsen told broadcaster NRK.
The water level in Bergen can reach up to 225 cm, while Stavanger could see heights of 174 cm.
Both would be near records, as the highest recorded water level in Bergen is 240cm in 1990 and Stavanger’s record is 182cm, set in 1994.
A low pressure system east of Iceland is the source of the extreme weather. The system will eventually move southeast and is expected to hit the the coast of Møre og Romsdal on Thursday morning.
In Eastern Norway, strong winds were also causing problems on Wednesday morning, including the cancellation of several ferries. This include the Horten-Moss connection, which ferry company Bastø-Fosen said has been shut down until further notice and all Color Line ferries between Sandefjord and Strömstad, which will not resume operations until the weather improves.
At 11am, the railway stretch between Spikkestad and Asker had also been shut down due after a tree fell across the track.
Police said that a man in Moss was also injured when a branch fell on his head.
It was only a few weeks ago that Norway was last hit by extreme winter weather when Storm Urd swept across the souther part of the country.
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An official storm warning has been issued for Rogaland, Hordaland and Sogn og Fjordane.
By Thursday morning, water levels are expected to be 70 to 85cm above normal, according to the Meteorological Institute. Such water level rises only statistically occur around once every 20 years.
The Meteorological Institute said that the high water levels have the potential to cause severe damage in Western Norway.
“I think that a good number of people will have problems with water getting in. Not just a few places, but many. This is something we only experience every twenty years if the warnings turn out to vote,” said state meteorologist Anne-Mette Olsen told broadcaster NRK.
The water level in Bergen can reach up to 225 cm, while Stavanger could see heights of 174 cm.
Both would be near records, as the highest recorded water level in Bergen is 240cm in 1990 and Stavanger’s record is 182cm, set in 1994.
A low pressure system east of Iceland is the source of the extreme weather. The system will eventually move southeast and is expected to hit the the coast of Møre og Romsdal on Thursday morning.
In Eastern Norway, strong winds were also causing problems on Wednesday morning, including the cancellation of several ferries. This include the Horten-Moss connection, which ferry company Bastø-Fosen said has been shut down until further notice and all Color Line ferries between Sandefjord and Strömstad, which will not resume operations until the weather improves.
At 11am, the railway stretch between Spikkestad and Asker had also been shut down due after a tree fell across the track.
Police said that a man in Moss was also injured when a branch fell on his head.
It was only a few weeks ago that Norway was last hit by extreme winter weather when Storm Urd swept across the souther part of the country.
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