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WEATHER

Floods in Vestland County: Almost all roads open again

In recent days, many roads in Vestland County, in western Norway, have been closed due to flooding.

Rainy weather
There have been major floods in Western Norway since Thursday. Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters / Unsplash

Now almost all of them are open again, according to the Norwegian Road Administration.

However, two smaller bridges, in Skulestad and Ullensvang, are still closed to passenger cars, traffic operator Kjetil Larsen in the Norwegian Road Administration told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK).

There have been major floods in Western Norway since Thursday.

READ MORE: Parts of Western Norway hit by major floods, several roads closed

Voss area hit by major floods

On Sunday, Voss Municipality wrote in a press release that the flood it experienced has probably been the second worst in the area in modern times.

The village of Evanger, in the same municipality, believes these were the worst floods the village was exposed to in modern times.

Insurance companies report that most of the damage in the area was caused by water entering into cellars or leaks through roofs and walls.

“Grateful that no lives have been lost”

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre commented on the floods in Voss on Saturday, thanking everyone who helped limit the damage.

“I want to thank everyone who is now – in various ways – ensuring that people are safe and working hard to limit the damage caused by the flood. We are all grateful that no lives have been lost,” Prime Minister Støre said.

“The destruction is extensive, and the flood has led to closed roads, blocked train traffic, and a lot of damage. There is damage to houses and homes, businesses have been shut down, schools and cultural centres have been flooded, and sports fields destroyed,” he added.

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WEATHER

Weather warning issued for spring snow in southern Norway

Southern Norway could be hit with 25 centimetres of snow on Thursday, and meteorologists have issued a yellow weather warning and said travel might be disrupted.

Weather warning issued for spring snow in southern Norway

The weather warning takes effect from Thursday morning and covers most of southern Norway, including Oslo.

The warning will be in place until late Thursday evening. A yellow weather warning is the mildest of Norway’s three weather warnings.

During a yellow weather warning, the public is asked to “be aware” of “challenging situations”.

“(The snow) probably comes mostly in the south, where they get the biggest amounts of snow. It can be up to 27 centimetres in some places. In Oslo, it will probably be around 5-10 centimetres,” state meteorologist Julie Solsvik Vågane told Norwegian newswire NTB.

“There will definitely be enough snow to cause quite a few problems. After all, it is April, and people don’t expect snow to the same extent. It will be a wintry day tomorrow,” she added.

Below you can see a post on X (formerly Twitter) of the weather warning. 

Public transport provider Ruter said that the weather was likely to pose problems for public transport and that it had taken preparatory measures ahead of the snow.

“We expect that this could affect public transport, and especially the buses,” Øystein Dahl Johansen from Ruter said.

Network rail operator Bane Nor said it would have extra staff on standby if the weather affects rail travel.

Difficult drivers are expected in western Norway, where the precipitation will arrive in the form of sleet.

From the beginning of next week, the weather in eastern Norway is expected to improve, and temperatures of up to 18 degrees have been forecast.

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