– I would leave the car if it is not absolutely necessary to drive until Tuesday afternoon. Along the coastal strip from Kristiansand and eastwards, there may be a good deal of snow until Tuesday, says meteorologist Martin Granerød at the Meteorological Institute to Fædrelandsvennen on Monday evening. He tells news that the snow showers will probably continue until Tuesday afternoon. Plus temperatures will then cause the snow to turn to sleet and later rain. Earlier on Monday, traffic operator at Vegtrafikksentralen, Kjetil Løvås, could say that they had received feedback about people who had driven with summer tyres. His message is that you must wear winter tires. He says it’s smooth and that it can get even smoother. – People have to take it easy and adapt to the conditions. The weather has created challenges for traffic in Southern Norway all day. State meteorologist Eldbjørg Moksnes says the most exposed places are Arendal and Tvedestrand. – There may be up to 50 centimeters of snow in some places during the day. It can be good to spend the last part of the day in the home office, says Moksnes. During the day and afternoon there have been several accidents on the roads in both Agder and Telemark. In Lillesand, a bus and a car collided on the slippery road. A wagon train also got stuck here. There have also been several traffic accidents in Arendal. There are also very slippery roads elsewhere in the country. In Valdres in Innlandet, the police report a skid due to the road conditions. – All the crew are out. It is especially from Kristiansand and eastwards that it seems to be the worst. – It can be pretty good with pressure on the roads when we get so much snow in a short time, as it can be during the day, says state meteorologist Rafael Escobar Løvdahl. The state meteorologist asks people to allow plenty of time on the roads throughout the day. – If there is something you have to do today, you must allow plenty of time, he says. The Swedish Road Traffic Center has been out and encourages motorists to drive their cars correctly and drive according to the conditions. – Now it’s winter. It is important that people are aware of that. That they have winter tires and adjust their speed, says Andreas Larsen of the Norwegian Road Administration. All plow crews are out to take measures and are monitoring the situation, according to the centre. – Everything that is available by crew is out and running all the time, says Larsen. The plow trucks are well underway on E18 on Monday. Photo: Christina Hårvik Nieuwlaat / news Tryk på vieene It will snow well for the next 24 hours and the general manager of Bilberging Sør in Arendal, Runar Jensen Tveit, thinks it will be a very busy afternoon. Extra staffing has been called in. – It looks like there could be extreme amounts. He remembers well the winter day from last year when over 2,000 cars were weatherproofed between Arendal and Tvedestrand. – It was extremely hectic, says Jensen Tveit. The general manager of Bilredning Sør, Runar Jensen Tveit, has called in more people to work today. Photo: Espen Bierud / news Tvedestrand mayor Marianne Landaas says the municipality is monitoring the situation. – Caretakers and plow workers are ready to move in all directions as soon as there is a need. If it gets bad, I think we will be very quick to notify the police and other authorities much earlier than last year. We follow closely and initiate measures when necessary, says Landaas. Complete chaos a year ago It is about a year ago that there was complete chaos on the E18 between Arendal and Tvedestrand. Well over 2,000 cars were stuck in a queue for hours after large amounts of snow. The Norwegian Civil Defense, Norwegian People’s Aid and the Red Cross had to assist the police and road authorities. The stretch of road from Risør to Kristiansand is referred to as a wet snow belt by emergency manager in Agder, Yngve Årøy. – According to experience, there have been challenges here in similar weather in the past. A bus collided with a car in Høvåg in Kristiansand earlier this afternoon. Photo: Kai Stokkeland / news The hazard warning is currently yellow, which means moderate risk. There was a yellow warning before chaos erupted last year. But Årøy believes they are better off this year after working on measures and follow-up of the incident. – We have learned, I hope. Store manager at Shell in Tvedestrand at E18, Karianne Bråthen, says they are prepared as best they can. Last year she ended up in the middle of the chaos when she was at work at the petrol station. – The evening was long and chaotic. I wasn’t allowed to leave work until late. We had people in here who couldn’t get to or from work. – I hope we have learned from last year and that we are better equipped, she adds. The store manager at Shell at E18 in Tvedestrand hopes they are better prepared for snow chaos this year. Photo: Espen Bierud / news
ttn-69
Now the snow is coming down – there may be 50 centimeters of snow – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
