Rana municipality has been notified that there have been several avalanches in the hiking area Stormdalen by Skarpneset in Rana municipality.
The landslides have most likely been in connection with the rain a couple of weeks ago, and this has led to ice and snow having dammed up and collected significant bodies of water in the valley.
Ole Petter Rundhaug and his wife Wenche Hjelmseth were in the area on Thursday 18 March.
They have walked in this area for 50 years and are known in the area, but have never experienced that a long lake has formed many kilometers up through the valley.
– I was about to look straight into the landslide that has come down from the mountainside. There had been a wet landslide and there had been great forces at work. This landslide had made a large dam and parts of Stormdalen are flooded, describes Ole Petter Rundhaug.
Never experienced before
It is a reasonably narrow valley so the water level can rise quickly, especially now when the weather changes.
– FEARS FLOOD: The water is rising and now there is a strong change in weather. Photo: Fjelltjenesten, Statskog
–
– We have only read that something like this must have happened in the 1800s and 1900s. It is reasonably special that it happens this year since there is so little snow in the mountains. It is very special to see that the water rose, says Rundhaug.
Statskog has inspected the area and has observed that the water level behind the dam has increased.
– It is quite unusual that an ice plug has stood like this for so long. No one has been in the valley since last Thursday so we do not know how much the water has risen now, says Hans Moasveen, supervisor at the Mountain Service in Statskog.
He is worried that a bridge could be taken if there is a flood down the valley.
– There is also an open mountain farm that tourists use that we are worried about, says Moasveen.
Strong wind and heat
He hopes that the water will find its way out under the hard ice that has formed after the landslides.
TRANG DAL: The new lake stretches for several kilometers. Photo: Fjelltjenesten, Statskog
–
–
In the next few days, there will be heavy weather changes in large parts of Nordland with a lot of wind, plus degrees and heavy rainfall.
Department manager for urban operations in Rana, Hanne Alvsing now encourages people not to visit Stormdalen in the future.
BIG SLIDES: Statskog hopes that the water finds natural ways out of the dam. Photo: Fjelltjenesten, Statskog
–
–
– If the ice dam breaks, it can trigger a tidal wave down towards the Ranavassdraget. We therefore ask people to stay away from the ice on the Ranelva for the next few days, says Alvsing.
There are no people living in the valley, but a possible tidal wave will come down towards the Ranavassdraget.
– We do not know exactly what the consequences will be, but the Ranavassdraget will be able to withstand this. Tourists must stay away from the area, says Alvsing.
–
