Extreme weather warnings issued as Norway braces for Storm Hans
A red weather warning is in place, several train lines are closed, and local authorities have crisis teams on standby with the worst of Storm Hans expected to hit Norway on Monday afternoon.
Storm Hans is expected to affect parts of southern and eastern Norway the worst on Monday afternoon.
“The rain can start as early as this morning, but it will probably be worse from Monday afternoon onwards,” Håkon Mjelstad from the Meteorological Institute told Norwegian newswire NTB.
A red weather warning covers large parts of southeast Norway. There are also a number of areas covered by orange and yellow warnings.
Red is the highest danger warnings from the Norwegian Directorate of Waterways and Energy (NVE) and the Meteorological Institute. Floods, rockslides, and landslides are all expected, and there is a risk of major damage to property and infrastructure. There is also a red warning in place for rain and a yellow warning for lightning.
You can see the areas covered by the weather warnings below.
Et rødt farevarsel om ekstremt mye regn er sendt ut for deler av Sør-Norge.
Det er ventet 80-100 mm på 24 timer. Hendelsen vil mange steder være blant de kraftigste siste 25 år.
Hold deg oppdatert på situasjonen på: https://t.co/u6O2VtqROD pic.twitter.com/fqaEdC5vwd
— Meteorologene (@Meteorologene) August 6, 2023
The storm has disrupted some travel in Norway, with the Dovre Line and Røros Line both closed due to the weather.
“It is against the background of the red danger warning that has been sent out. Then we feel that we cannot guarantee the safety of the travellers with such a serious danger warning,” Olav Nordli, a press officer for Bane Nor, told Norwegian newswire NTB.
Bane Nor, which maintains Norway’s rail network, has said it isn’t sure how long the closures would last.
Fjordline has also cancelled its departure from Kristiansand to Hirtshals at 3pm on Monday. The company has said that it cancelled due to wind and rain. Colorline has also cancelled its departures between the same ports for Tuesday.
Air travel out of Oslo airport may be affected, airport operator Avinor has said. It has told passengers to arrive at the airport as planned. Delays from Oslo Airport can be expected on Monday and Tuesday.
A number of local authorities have set up crisis teams or have them on standby to deal with flooding or landslides. Damage caused by flooding has already occurred in the areas close to the Swedish border, insurance firm Frende Forsikring has said.
Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Støre has told households that they should be prepared for the extreme weather.
“So it is important that each one of us now secures our own house, makes sure that cars and caravans are not too close to waterways, that streams and rivers are not blocked by twigs and so on,” he told public broadcaster NRK.
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Storm Hans is expected to affect parts of southern and eastern Norway the worst on Monday afternoon.
“The rain can start as early as this morning, but it will probably be worse from Monday afternoon onwards,” Håkon Mjelstad from the Meteorological Institute told Norwegian newswire NTB.
A red weather warning covers large parts of southeast Norway. There are also a number of areas covered by orange and yellow warnings.
Red is the highest danger warnings from the Norwegian Directorate of Waterways and Energy (NVE) and the Meteorological Institute. Floods, rockslides, and landslides are all expected, and there is a risk of major damage to property and infrastructure. There is also a red warning in place for rain and a yellow warning for lightning.
You can see the areas covered by the weather warnings below.
Et rødt farevarsel om ekstremt mye regn er sendt ut for deler av Sør-Norge.
— Meteorologene (@Meteorologene) August 6, 2023
Det er ventet 80-100 mm på 24 timer. Hendelsen vil mange steder være blant de kraftigste siste 25 år.
Hold deg oppdatert på situasjonen på: https://t.co/u6O2VtqROD pic.twitter.com/fqaEdC5vwd
The storm has disrupted some travel in Norway, with the Dovre Line and Røros Line both closed due to the weather.
“It is against the background of the red danger warning that has been sent out. Then we feel that we cannot guarantee the safety of the travellers with such a serious danger warning,” Olav Nordli, a press officer for Bane Nor, told Norwegian newswire NTB.
Bane Nor, which maintains Norway’s rail network, has said it isn’t sure how long the closures would last.
Fjordline has also cancelled its departure from Kristiansand to Hirtshals at 3pm on Monday. The company has said that it cancelled due to wind and rain. Colorline has also cancelled its departures between the same ports for Tuesday.
Air travel out of Oslo airport may be affected, airport operator Avinor has said. It has told passengers to arrive at the airport as planned. Delays from Oslo Airport can be expected on Monday and Tuesday.
A number of local authorities have set up crisis teams or have them on standby to deal with flooding or landslides. Damage caused by flooding has already occurred in the areas close to the Swedish border, insurance firm Frende Forsikring has said.
Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Støre has told households that they should be prepared for the extreme weather.
“So it is important that each one of us now secures our own house, makes sure that cars and caravans are not too close to waterways, that streams and rivers are not blocked by twigs and so on,” he told public broadcaster NRK.
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