Travel in Norway heavily disrupted by rain, ice and snowmelt
Flights have been cancelled, roads were affected and public transport was disrupted by rain and melting snow in Norway on Monday.
The police, Norwegian Public Roads Administration, and public transport firms have told the public in southern Norway to only travel on Monday if necessary.
Travellers have also been asked to allow extra time for their journeys, pay extra attention and drive to the conditions.
Rain and snow melt were expected to turn to ice, causing challenging driving conditions.
“There is a lot of water in the road, and aquaplaning is a great danger. It has been raining all night. So, there is a lot of meltwater out in the roadway,” Annie Serup from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration told public broadcaster NRK on Monday.
Avinor, the Norwegian airport operator, cancelled several domestic flights to and from Oslo Airport due to weather conditions. In addition to the handful of domestic flights, some services to Copenhagen and Amsterdam also faced disruption.
SAS, KLM and Norwegian were the airlines to cancel flights on Monday morning. Avinor has a full list of departures and arrivals by airport on its website.
High winds and slippery runways closed the regional airports in Mo i Rana, Mosjøen, Sandnessjøen and Brønnøysund.
Oslo airport had limited the amount of departures per hour due to a slippery runway. Avinor said that this would lead to some delays.
Public transport in Oslo also faced delays and cancellations on Monday morning.
“Large parts of public transport are affected by temperature changes and heavy rainfall on Monday, January 22nd. This leads to delays and adjustments on many lines. We recommend not travelling and that those who can use a home office,” public transport firm Ruter wrote.
Bus routes 63, 120, 310 and 315 have been cancelled. The 23 was partially suspended between Helsfyr T and Lysakerlokket, routes 79 and 80E were partially suspended between Åsbråten and Holmlia, and the 81 was partially suspended between Ødegården and Trygve Strømsbergs road.
Oslo Municipality has also asked those who can work from home and asked that everyone who can avoid driving do so.
Ruter recommended travellers try to use the subway and tram.
The weather also cancelled several trains. All trains on the Bergen Line were cancelled on Monday by Vy.
Trains on the Lillestrøm to Asker line were also affected by the weather, and the Sørlands line was closed between Egersund and Moi, affecting trains between Oslo and Stavanger.
In addition to the ice, drivers were warned of the possibility of flooded roads and aquaplaning.
The Meteorological Institute issued two separate orange weather warnings. One for difficult driving conditions in the southeast and another for heavy rain in the south and the west.
Orange alerts are for serious weather situations and are issued when the institute expects extensive consequences.
READ MORE: What you need to know about Norway’s weather warning system
Issues were reported on several roads. Stormwater was reported on the E6. Flood water was also reported on the E8 in Arendal in Agder county, and the E18 was also affected.
County Road 27 above Venabygdsfjellet, E6 over Dovrefjell in Innlandet, and several roads in Finnmark in the north were also closed due to the weather on Monday.
In western Norway, many roads were closed with Rogaland county the most affected.
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration’s website has an overview of affected roads.
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The police, Norwegian Public Roads Administration, and public transport firms have told the public in southern Norway to only travel on Monday if necessary.
Travellers have also been asked to allow extra time for their journeys, pay extra attention and drive to the conditions.
Rain and snow melt were expected to turn to ice, causing challenging driving conditions.
“There is a lot of water in the road, and aquaplaning is a great danger. It has been raining all night. So, there is a lot of meltwater out in the roadway,” Annie Serup from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration told public broadcaster NRK on Monday.
Avinor, the Norwegian airport operator, cancelled several domestic flights to and from Oslo Airport due to weather conditions. In addition to the handful of domestic flights, some services to Copenhagen and Amsterdam also faced disruption.
SAS, KLM and Norwegian were the airlines to cancel flights on Monday morning. Avinor has a full list of departures and arrivals by airport on its website.
High winds and slippery runways closed the regional airports in Mo i Rana, Mosjøen, Sandnessjøen and Brønnøysund.
Oslo airport had limited the amount of departures per hour due to a slippery runway. Avinor said that this would lead to some delays.
Public transport in Oslo also faced delays and cancellations on Monday morning.
“Large parts of public transport are affected by temperature changes and heavy rainfall on Monday, January 22nd. This leads to delays and adjustments on many lines. We recommend not travelling and that those who can use a home office,” public transport firm Ruter wrote.
Bus routes 63, 120, 310 and 315 have been cancelled. The 23 was partially suspended between Helsfyr T and Lysakerlokket, routes 79 and 80E were partially suspended between Åsbråten and Holmlia, and the 81 was partially suspended between Ødegården and Trygve Strømsbergs road.
Oslo Municipality has also asked those who can work from home and asked that everyone who can avoid driving do so.
Ruter recommended travellers try to use the subway and tram.
The weather also cancelled several trains. All trains on the Bergen Line were cancelled on Monday by Vy.
Trains on the Lillestrøm to Asker line were also affected by the weather, and the Sørlands line was closed between Egersund and Moi, affecting trains between Oslo and Stavanger.
In addition to the ice, drivers were warned of the possibility of flooded roads and aquaplaning.
The Meteorological Institute issued two separate orange weather warnings. One for difficult driving conditions in the southeast and another for heavy rain in the south and the west.
Orange alerts are for serious weather situations and are issued when the institute expects extensive consequences.
READ MORE: What you need to know about Norway’s weather warning system
Issues were reported on several roads. Stormwater was reported on the E6. Flood water was also reported on the E8 in Arendal in Agder county, and the E18 was also affected.
County Road 27 above Venabygdsfjellet, E6 over Dovrefjell in Innlandet, and several roads in Finnmark in the north were also closed due to the weather on Monday.
In western Norway, many roads were closed with Rogaland county the most affected.
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration’s website has an overview of affected roads.
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