Extreme weather “Ingunn” hits the Norwegian coast during the afternoon. Updated 18:29: Bodø, Salten and Vesterålen are included in the extreme weather forecast at red level. In this area, the wind will be strongest on Thursday morning and in the morning with extremely strong gusts and strong north-westerly storms, possibly hurricane-prone places, the Meteorologists report on the X message service. It seems that Trøndelag and Nordland are likely to be hardest hit of the extreme weather. Until now, Lofoten has been at the outer edge of the areas most affected by extreme weather. Now, however, the danger warning for Lofoten has been upgraded from orange to red danger warning. – We are talking about a deterioration. Locally, there can be extreme wind gusts of 40-50 meters per second from 06:00 on Thursday until 11:00 in Lofoten, says on-duty meteorologist Jon Austrheim at the Weather Forecast for Northern Norway. Extreme weather Ingunn hits the Norwegian coast during the afternoon. People are asked to get ready for the storm and secure what they are responsible for. Photo: Meteorological Institute It also means high waves. Around 01 am on Thursday, a maximum wave height of 21.5 meters is expected. – It’s pretty intense stuff. That wave height is like three residential buildings on top of each other. This is what Kjell Jakobsen, harbor manager of Lofoten Harbour, tells news. He is excited about how bad it will be in the next 24 hours, and says that the storm affects different places differently. – We hope that it will not be too bad, but in some places the wind can be very strong. In any case, you shouldn’t be out with the boat in such weather, he says. Vestvågøy municipality held crisis management meetings on Wednesday and prepared for the storm. – We have been around the ports and seen today. We will take the storm seriously, says Jakobsen. The danger warning is now red for Helgeland and Lofoten, while it is orange for the rest of Nordland. With a red danger warning, roof tiles and roof tiles can blow off houses and buildings. Bridges may be closed and the power supply will be significantly affected. Some precipitation is also expected together with the strong wind. In addition, there is the potential for a good deal of lightning, according to the meteorologist. – The strong wind will once again cause problems for traffic in the county, says safety and preparedness manager in Nordland county municipality, Jostein Eliassen. Adjusted downward in Western Norway In Western Norway, the wind is likely to be weaker than first thought. – We are downgrading the danger warning on the coast of Nordfjord and Møre og Romsdal to orange, and then we are downgrading the orange danger warning in the middle and inner areas of Møre og Romsdal and Nordfjord to yellow level, says meteorologist Geir Ottar Fagerlid to news. People in Lofoten and the coast in Nordland and Trøndelag are asked to secure boats and other loose objects before Ingunn arrives. This picture is from a previous storm in Lofoten. Photo: JOHN INGE BERG He emphasizes that people must respect the forces of nature even if the warning has been downgraded. – The wind will be slightly weaker, but an orange warning is still serious. – There will still be a hurricane near Stad, but slightly fewer areas where we expect a hurricane. Generally on the coast we expect a strong storm. Towards the fjords, we expect gusts of between 27 – 35 meters per second, which is a good force for the gusts, but it is defined as yellow level. Fagerlid states that during the night the wind turns to the north-west. The cold will return Early on Thursday morning there will be a strong gale from the north-west and a small storm on the coast and mountains in Western Norway south of Stad. This means completely different temperatures than we have had recently. – Cold air is coming from the north and we will get the snow showers back. We have issued a yellow warning for snow in the mountains in Western Norway south of Stad. In the middle and inner areas of the lowlands, anything between 10 and 25 centimeters can fall and in the mountains half a meter can fall within a day between 500 and 1000 metres. Waves of 16 meters high have been reported in the area between Stad and Lofoten. This picture is from a previous storm in Vesterålen. Photo: Emma Bergheim The snow comes in addition to a lot of wind, and there will be difficult driving conditions in the mountains – We expect the back side of “Ingunn” to bring with it a lot of cold air and snow showers during Thursday, so there will be a lot of wintry weather on Western Norway, central Norway and eventually in northern Norway, says Fagerlid. Winter lightning The meteorologists also warn of a number of lightning strikes where the strongest wind comes. – It is very common for strong storms to produce unstable air, which produces lightning and thunderstorms. Lightning over Landegode in Bodø. Photo: Kåre Riibe Ramskjell / news In addition, the meteorologists monitor the water level in Nordland. The Westfjord in particular can get very high values during the morning on Thursday. – There may also be a water level warning, says the meteorologist. People in the north are preparing for another round of severe storms: Police: – Consider home office and closed schools When the extreme weather “Ingunn” sets in on Wednesday afternoon, there is reason to ask people to think about whether it is necessary to travel outside, writes the Nordland police district in a message. With this extreme weather, winds up to hurricane force are expected. The most wind has been reported in Helgeland, but a lot of wind has also been reported in the north of the county. Locally extreme wind gusts of 35–50 m/s are expected from the southwest, and a hurricane on the coast. With the wind also comes precipitation, which will create a danger of snow and slush avalanches in addition to additional challenges for traffic outside, according to the police. – The police in Nordland encourage people to exercise caution when traveling outside, by looking out for loose flying objects, and to limit traffic in the beach zone. Consider whether it is necessary to stay outdoors, says chief of staff in Nordland Police District, Bent Are Eilertsen. The storm in the north refuses to let go: The police in Nordland have an ongoing close dialogue with the emergency operators in the county and make two calls for Thursday: If they have the opportunity, they should consider having a home office on this day. In addition, schools should consider whether pupils can be kept at home on Thursday. Latest: Hadsel in Vesterålen and Rødøy municipality in Helgeland announced on Wednesday morning that they will keep schools and kindergartens closed tomorrow. Chief of Staff in Nordland Police District, Bent Are Eilertsen. Photo: Bente H. Johansen / news Those who can postpone their drive should do so. Roads and bridges can be closed at short notice. – The authorities recommend that those in the area stay indoors if possible. Follow advice from emergency authorities and check road signs if you have to drive, says Eilertsen. In addition, one should follow advice and check the status from transport operators. Boat routes will probably be canceled and the weather may cause problems for air traffic. – Before the weather hits full force, each individual household should consider measures to limit damage, says chief of staff in the Nordland police district, Bent Are Eilertsen.
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Extreme weather Ingunn will also hit Lofoten – news Nordland
