Heavy Snowfall in Norway Forces Closure of Main Airport and Halts Train Services
On January 17, extreme weather conditions in Norway have led to significant disruptions in passenger transportation. Specifically, the main airport in the country's capital had to be temporarily closed due to heavy snowfall, which impaired visibility of ground lights for airplanes, posing a substantial threat to flight safety, as reported by NRK.
In Eastern Norway, train services were also suspended, and all bus routes in Oslo and Berum were cancelled. Currently, the Oslo airport has resumed operations, and bus services are gradually being restored.
Adverse weather conditions in Oslo have also impacted the metro system. Snowfall has damaged and overloaded power lines, causing issues with the power supply for subway trains. It is reported that passengers on one train had to be evacuated due to a lack of power in the metro.
Public transportation problems in the Norwegian capital have resulted in a high demand for taxis. City services had to temporarily stop accepting new orders, and some individuals reported waiting for taxis for over four hours.
Recalling earlier in the year, Finland faced challenging weather conditions. On January 4, the country recorded its lowest temperature of the winter in the Lapland city of Enontekio, plummeting to -43.1 degrees Celsius. The Finnish Meteorological Institute noted that temperatures below -42 degrees Celsius had been recorded in the country only three times in this century. Interestingly, when the thermometer dropped to -40 degrees Celsius, the temperature aligned with the Fahrenheit scale, where such extreme cold is also denoted as -40 degrees.
During the same period, neighbouring Sweden reported record-low temperatures. In the small village of Nikkaluokta, inhabited by the indigenous Sámi people, a temperature of -41.6 degrees Celsius was recorded. Additionally, Norway had to close its main highway in the south due to severe weather conditions, leading to the suspension of ferry services.