Here the river floods over the E6 – VG

It is especially the areas around Lofoten and Ofoten as well as Vesterålen that on Monday afternoon mark the remnants of the storm «Sally».

Due to heavy rainfall, the E6 is now closed at Storforshei north of Helgeland in Nordland. The ferries on county road 17 have also been canceled due to strong winds and a number of roads.

Thus, Norway is divided into two.

– We have a number of closed roads right now. Our main challenge is the E6, which divides Norway in two, says traffic operator at the road traffic center in Nordland, Kristin Storrø.

Storrø says there are no detours, except Sweden a good distance away.

– A lot of precipitation has been reported during the day, and we do not currently have any good news to bring, she says.

She says it is difficult to say how long the flood will last, and that it is currently difficult to say how long people will have to wait to be able to continue driving.

Powerful wine toss

Ola Bakke Aashamar at the Meteorological Institute tells VG that the worst precipitation has now occurred in Helgeland, but that large amounts of precipitation are still expected throughout the evening, also in the north of Nordland and Troms.

Meteorologists have already raised the wind forecast from yellow to orange for Sør-Troms and Nordland, and Aashamar confirms that more than four stations have picked up gusts at this level.

– Right now it is blowing hard into the west fjord. In Bodø we have gusts of 28 / per second, he says.

Orange danger level is the second highest, and is described as a serious situation that rarely occurs and which can cause serious injuries. The forecast is valid until seven o’clock on Tuesday morning.

– It is now the wind will be strongest in Bodø, before it pulls a little north towards Troms during the evening and night. There it will be possible for gusts between 30-35 meters / second, he says.

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Monday morning, a full storm was expected, 12 meter high waves and the risk of flooding in Nordland and Sør-Troms in the next 24 hours.

– We have many danger warnings to offer, said meteorologist Charalampos Sarchosidis at the Meteorological Institute early Monday.

Sarchosidis estimated that there could be gusts of up to 35 seconds above land, and that it would thus blow a full storm. This comes at the same time as large amounts of precipitation have been announced in the same area.

During one day, up to 100 millimeters of rain is expected in Troms, while in Nordland it can get up to 70 millimeters.

– It’s not the worst now, and it will get worse late this afternoon. The wind will be blowing straight in from the sea, says the meteorologist.

More ferry cancellations

Sarchosidis says that they have already received reports of more cancellations in boat traffic, and that they expect more to come.

– The wind will cause very high waves, between 10-12 meters, and it will probably affect quite a few boat routes. There will probably be a number of cancellations for those who intend to travel in Nordland and southern parts of Troms today, he says.

The large amounts of rain have also led to meteorologists sending out danger warnings at high water levels, and this also applies in particular to the areas of Lofoten and Ofoten.

The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) has the same. They report that there is already a large flow of water in some places, and that a lot of rain will lead to this increasing even more.

Warns of high waves

Meteorologist Sarchosidis warns people who are going out to experience the storm, and asks them to be careful.

– There are often many who become curious and fascinated by storms, they want to go out and see, but you have to be extra observant when you are out right by the sea. The high waves in particular can come as a surprise, he says.

He adds that people should secure their boats, and that people should be careful when traveling outdoors because trees can tip over and objects can fly in the air.

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The meteorologist is supported by the police in Nordland, who have moved out on their Twitter account to ask people to secure loose objects around houses and in gardens as soon as possible.

– It is already good with the weather outside, and it will get worse. Strong winds can also lead to bridges and stretches of road being closed at short notice, they write on their Twitter account.

Forest fire warning in the south

The weather counterpart is large when you look at the southern parts of the country, where there may be opportunities for summer temperatures. In Østafjells, the danger of forest fires has already been sent out.

– It has not rained there for a long time. It will probably apply until Tuesday or Wednesday, when there will be some precipitation in southern Norway as well. The best days in the south are today and tomorrow, says Sarchosidis.

He adds that Western Norway will experience “normal” weather conditions over the next 24 hours.

– In Western Norway, there is nothing abnormal. It is gray and sad there, as usual, says the meteorologist.