Weather forecasters’ fears of a full-blown hurricane around Norway’s West Cape failed to materialize, to the relief of local residents, but they were subject to another severe storm during the night. By midday on Wednesday, the stormy weather was causing problems in northern Norway.
Ferry routes were cancelled and many bridges and roads were closed as the latest winter storm descended on Trøndelag, Nordland and Troms counties. Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reported that the Tjeldsund bridge, for example, closed Wednesday morning, stranding motorists on both sides of it, while several ferry routes in Troms and northern Nordland were halted by the strong winds.
Roof damage
The ferry over the Ullsfjord in Troms couldn’t manage to maneuver into port, forcing it to remain out on the fjord until the winds eased, reported NRK.
Damage reports started coming in Wednesday morning after a wild night of strong winds. The roof of a restaurant in Tromsø was blown off, while a shopping center at Tomasjord in Tromsø also reported roof damage.
The storm, however, didn’t hit the west coast further south as hard as state meteorologists had predicted on Tuesday. Strong winds were still blowing on Wednesday, but fears of a hurricane at the West Cape on the Stad peninsula literally blew over.
“The vast majority are glad today, that it was enough with a severe storm,” state meteorologist Haldis Berge told NRK on Wedneday. After strong winds all day, they began to blow over around 9pm Tuesday instead of developing into the hurricane that had been predicted.
Seasick
Some communities, however, were isolated by the storm including Måløy and Vågsøy, when local bridges and roads closed. The ferry between Måløy and Oldeide also was held in port. “We probably could have managed out there (on the stormy sea) but there’s no point taking any chances in this kind of weather,” Captain Tommy Tennebø told NRK.
Seas were exceptionally rough and water levels high all along the coast. That was enough to cause seasickness on the Hurtigruten vessels plying the coast. “Many of the passengers think it’s exciting to experience such a storm,” Captain Hermod Nilsen on board the MS Nordkapp told NRK. “But a lot of them got sick and threw up. There were several who didn’t show up for breakfast today.”
Views and News from Norway/Nina Berglund
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