The most powerful storm in Norway in more than 30 years battered parts of Scandinavia on Thursday, ripping roofs off, raising the risk of avalanches, canceling flights and knocking out power.
Hurricane-force winds gusted up to 112 mph in some places. A new national wind speed record of 191.7 mph was set locally on Soenma Island early Thursday morning, according to the Norwegian Meteorological Institute.
A bus carrying 14 passengers was blown off the road near Laerdal, a small picturesque town northeast of Norway’s second-largest city, Bergen, but no injuries were reported, police said.
Norway braces for strongest storm since 1990s
Some areas were flooded and airlines and ferry companies suspended operations. There were scattered reports of schools, roads, tunnels, and bridges being closed due to strong winds, rain, and snow. An estimated 12,000 households were left without power.
Hurricane-force wind gusts were also reported in Sweden overnight. The Swedish Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology has issued a red warning, the highest level, for the western Norrbotten region, which borders Norway. Local media reported that schools were closed in the Swedish town of Kiruna.
Storm Ingun attacks a boat in the port of Bodø, Norway, on February 1, 2024. (Per-Inge Johnsen/NTB Scanpix via AP)
The storm, named Ingan by Norwegian meteorologists, made landfall in central Norway on Wednesday afternoon and moved north on Thursday. The Institute of Meteorology has issued a red warning for the Arctic region and multiple avalanche warnings.
A window was blown out at a hotel in Bodø, a town in the Nordland district, police said, adding that downtown Bodø had since been sealed off due to a “danger to life and health”.
Northern Norway University Hospital announced that part of the roof was damaged at a branch of the hospital on Hinnoeja, Norway’s largest island. Photos published in Norwegian media showed a helicopter landing pad strewn with debris.
“Roof tiles are flying all over the town and visibility is poor,” Øyvind Alvora, a spokesperson for the city of Harstad, told Norwegian broadcaster NRK. Local police confirmed that debris was flying around.
The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate, known as NVE, has issued the highest avalanche warning for most areas of southern and central Norway for the next few days. The agency also warned of a significant risk of landslides, mudslides and flash flooding during the same period.
Bjornar Gersvik, police spokesperson for the Troenderag region, told the Norwegian news agency NTB that security authorities had received 40 to 50 calls overnight from people affected by the storm, and more on Thursday. He said he expected many reports.
Sigmund Clements of IF Insurance told Norwegian newspaper VG that it was too early to estimate the damage caused by the storm.
In the south of Denmark, the Storeveld Bridge, which connects Denmark’s two main islands, was closed to vehicles carrying light trailers due to strong winds.
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According to VG newspaper, the storm hit the same area as the 1992 New Year’s hurricane, making it one of the strongest storms in Norwegian history.
