The storm which in Denmark has been named “Otto” will soon hit Norway. A northwesterly full and partly strong storm is expected along the coast from Sunnhordland to Agder. – There can be very strong gusts of up to 40 meters per second along the coast. It corresponds to an orange danger warning, says state meteorologist Dina Stabell. The Swedish Road Administration has notified that roads and bridges may be closed at short notice. Mountain passes can also be closed at short notice, and flights can be cancelled. This on a day when many people in Norway start their winter holidays. – The storm comes at an unfavorable time. It may be a good idea to postpone or travel earlier for those who will travel to the cabin during the winter holidays, said state meteorologist Geir Ottar Fagerlid on Thursday. The strong wind that is on its way has already had several consequences: Hannes Petrowski from Germany is now stranded in Stavanger as a result of the storm. – My wife is waiting for me, and my birthday is tomorrow, so now I have to call her and explain. We can celebrate another day, he says. Petrowski was to take a flight to Copenhagen at 1.40pm, and on to Hamburg. The flight has now been canceled due to the storm. – We haven’t heard anything about the storm and don’t know what’s happening now, we have to call our boss, and may have to sleep in a hotel tonight. Press manager at SAS, Tonje Sund, says they are working on rebooking the passengers. – But it is the weather that decides today, she says. Hannes Petrowski was in Norway in connection with work. Now he and his colleague will have a longer stay than planned. Photo: Ole Andreas Bø / news Warns against visiting places exposed to the weather The wind will start to increase from 2pm on Friday afternoon, and will subside at 7pm in outer areas, and closer to 9pm in inland areas. – This low pressure passes rather quickly, says state meteorologist Dina Stabell. She says most places will taste the storm coming in, but that there will be local differences. In the event of an orange danger warning, departures for ferries, planes or other transport can be expected. The SMS passengers in Norwegian have received. There is also a risk of damage to buildings and infrastructure, and objects can be taken by the wind or blown over. Many journeys may have longer journey times. Roads may be closed due to trees or other objects in the roadway. The call is to secure loose objects, avoid driving in exposed areas, calculate extra time for driving and assess whether the journey is necessary. The emergency manager in Agder, Yngve Årøy, encourages spectators not to seek out places exposed to the weather. – If there is anyone who wants to greet the storm, I would strongly advise against it. The last thing the rescue apparatus needs now is unnecessary rescue operations when there is much else to focus on. The storm will not hit Vestland as hard as expected. The boundary for the orange warning for strong gusts has been moved further south, but still includes Bømlo. Your browser does not support the embedding of external content Four international schools in Stavanger close earlier on Friday due to the predicted storm. Usually the students leave at 3:00 p.m., but today they will finish at 12:30 p.m. The Swedish Road Administration sent out a press release yesterday warning that roads and bridges may be closed, and ferries may be cancelled. The Meteorological Institute also writes that flight departures may be cancelled. The mountain passes can be closed at short notice. In Sirdal in Agder, plow driver Tore Kvinlaug is worried about heavy snow drifts and slush. – It can be heavy and “poo”. In some places, the plow truck is terribly difficult to drive, but you just have to take it easy, he says. Anette Sigmundstad is airport director at Stavanger Airport Sola. There have already been flight cancellations at the airport, due to the weather situation in Aberdeen. – We will expect that there will be cancellations due to the weather that is moving towards us now. We encourage people to follow along, and relate to the information they receive from the airlines, she says. Airport Director at Stavanger Airport Sola, Anette Sigmundstad. Photo: Mathias Oppedal / news SAS has assessed the storm and is now taking safety measures by allowing passengers to rebook their flight departures. – SAS passengers can rebook to an earlier flight or a later time. This applies to travelers to and from Stavanger, Haugesund and Bergen, says press manager at SAS, Tonje Sund. Norwegian has offered its passengers to rebook flights that may be affected by the storm. In an SMS the airline sent out to passengers yesterday, it says, among other things, the following: “Due to the potential impact of our flights, we are currently offering free rebooking to earlier flights.” Ferry companies Norled reports several canceled routes: School route with departure at 14:45 from Judaberg to Halsnøy, Eidsund and Helgøy is canceled today due to the weather conditions Departure from Stavanger at 16:45 to Kvitsøy with return to Stavanger is canceled today due to the weather conditions. Color Line has canceled three ferry departures (Larvik – Hirtshals, Hirtshals – Larvik and Hirtshals – Kristiansand), in addition, two departures have been accelerated
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Southern Norway is hit by strong winds – in Denmark the storm is called “Otto” – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
