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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

Heavy snow causes travel chaos in southern Norway 

Heavy snow has led to several accidents and travel disruption on Friday, with multiple weather warnings in place for parts of southern and western Norway. 

Heavy snow causes travel chaos in southern Norway 

Heavy snow will continue throughout Norway on Friday after plenty of precipitation through Thursday evening. 

The snow has caused significant issues for travellers in southern and western Norway, with the police and the Norwegian Public Roads Administration advising drivers to consider if a journey is necessary and work from home if they can. 

At 7am this morning, traffic on the E18 into Oslo was disrupted after a car was flipped onto its roof. This led to partial closures, single-file driving and queues stretching kilometres. Additionally, shortly after 9:30am, the E16 between Skui and Rustan was closed due to traffic being blocked toward Hønefoss. 

Meanwhile, two drivers were taken to the hospital for check-ups after an accident In Bjørntvedtvegen in Skien. And in Oslo, at around 7am, a car and a bus in Grorud collided. 

Train traffic has also been affected. The Bergen line between Hallingskeid and Myrdal is closed due to snow avalanches. Additionally, signalling issues at Drammen station caused delays and changes to services from the station. 

Furthermore, the majority of the mountain passes in Norway were closed due to bad weather or were operating with convoy driving in place. 

Varsom.no has sent out a red danger warning for avalanches and an orange danger warning for snow in several places. In addition, a yellow danger warning has been issued for gusts of wind in Rogaland and Hordaland.

For an overview of closed roads and mountain passes, you can click here to check the Norwegian Public Roads Administration site. 

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