Nearly all mountain passes were closed on Monday, thousands were without power in Trøndelag and damage reports were pouring in after another storm slammed into the west coast and north beyond Trondheim. Winds also hit hurricane force as far south as Sirdal in Agder County Sunday night, and it was blowing hard in Oslo, too.
The storm followed the extreme weather system dubbed Gyda by just a few days, forcing ships including the coastal voyage line Hurtigruten to remain securely tied up in ports and ferries to suspend service. Trondheim’s airport at Værnes also had to close Sunday evening, after some harrowing landings that frightened passengers.
An estimated 14,000 residents of Trøndelag lost electricity Sunday evening, bridges had to close all along the coast and waves were so high in Ålesund that residents were warned to stay far away from all waterfront areas. There was also lots of damage, not least in Melhus where the roof of a barn housing 65 cattle blew off. None were badly injured but all needed to be moved as soon as possible.
Blizzards and rain that froze on contact with asphalt also made all driving extremely hazadous, even in downtown Trondheim. Landslide and avalanche danger remained high, with warnings posted in Nordfjord, Møre og Romsdal, Trøndelag, Agder, Telemark, Buskerud and Innlandet. Winds were due to die down throughout the day on Monday.
newsinenglish.no staff
