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Norwegians take skis out of storage after freak snowfall

The Local Norway
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Norwegians take skis out of storage after freak snowfall
Holmenkollen, Oslo on 11th May 2017. Photo: Berit Roald / NTB scanpix

Norway is currently under an amount of snow extremely rare for late spring, with up to half a metre of snow falling in areas outside of Oslo.

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Snowfall during Wednesday night caused traffic delay Thursday, and so much snow has fallen that Oslo residents have returned to ski slopes in the off-season, reports NRK.

Oslo’s municipality told the broadcaster that it was reopening ski slopes.

“Preparing ski slopes after Easter is completely abnormal. But we have never prepared them in May before,” Knut Johansson of the city authority said.

READ ALSO: Warmer weather finally coming to Norway as May begins

The Vestmarka area outside of the capital is one of the areas that has seen heavy amounts of May-time snow.

“We have 25cm at Solli in Vestmarka, where we are going out with an ATV quad bike to make ski slopes,” ski run manager Hege Blichfelt Sheriff of the local skiers’ association told NRK.

Just under a centimetre of snow was measured this morning outside the Norwegian Institute for Meteorology (Meteorologisk Institutt) at Blindern in the capital, according to NRK's report.

Snow has not been seen at Blindern at this time of year since 1967, according to the institute.

“It is something very rare for the snow to settle as far down as Blindern,” said meteorologist Terje Alsvik Walløe.

Even though snow further north is less uncommon for the time of year, Walløe said the amount that had fallen was “unusual”.

Meanwhile, police advised motorists in the Oslo area who have switched their tyres to summer tread not to take their vehicles out on the roads.

“We recommend that people drive based on conditions and not take any chances,” duty officer Rune Ullsand told NRK.

Walløe told NRK that the unusual snowfall did not mean winter was back for good.

“This is the last spasm. We will now see better and more spring-like weather,” he said.

Temperatures are expected to reach 15°C (59°F) over the weekend, reports NRK.

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