SLIPPERY: Slippery roads and winter holidays are rarely a good combination. Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB
The meteorologists have announced a double hålke alarm.
Thursday 15 February at 21:26
On Friday, a lot of rainfall is expected in large parts of southern Norway. The only question is whether it will snow, sleet or rain.
Freezing rain can occur on the road, meaning that the rain turns to ice when it hits the ground and creates terrible driving conditions.
And to make it clear: you will hardly get worse driving conditions.
To top it all off, large parts of Eastern Norway have winter holidays from Friday. As a result, even greater traffic is expected on the roads in southern Norway.
Changeable weather
Traffic operator for the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, Jeanette Andresen, says that it is difficult with the changing weather that has been reported.
– We are prepared for everything on the roads we are responsible for. There will probably always be some traffic, especially when people are on winter holidays. Should there be ice on the roads, the driving conditions will be difficult, that’s just the way it is, she says.
The Swedish Road Administration is used to busy roads out of Oslo almost every day.
– Now it may be filling up with more people going to cabins or to other parts of the country. People must expect that the route may change over time during the drive. It can be very variable. Snow, sleet and periods of freezing rain are never good. It can be challenging for road users if it happens.
Four out of ten Norwegians plan to go on holiday this winter. Almost half of these are planning a holiday in Norway, according to a Kantar survey commissioned by NHO Reiseliv.
Driving conditions will be difficult in large parts of southern Norway. Photo: Meteorological Institute
She offers the following tips for those who are going out on the roads.
- Plan plenty of time
- Be extra sharp
- Keep a good distance from the cars in front of you
- Watch your speed
- Drive according to the conditions
There may be delays
Ruter is also getting ready for a day of challenging conditions. Press officer Cathrine Myhren-Haugen says that people must be prepared for delays and cancellations.
– I would encourage everyone to allow plenty of time to check the travel planner. A yellow hazard warning can mean difficult driving conditions in certain areas. Bus traffic is probably the most affected. There can be both delays and cancellations, she tells VG.
Is there really hope?
The vast majority of people are probably tired of the winter so far, as Norway has been affected by one storm after another.
So is there really light on the horizon? Is spring on the way, or do we have to wait even longer?
Climate researcher Erik Kolstad at NORCE and the Bjerknes Center can say that the weather will be variable in the coming weeks.
For those hoping for an early spring, Kolstad has good news.
– It seems that it will be mild in terms of the season next week when many people have winter holidays. For the time being, this seems to last until mid-March, particularly in northern Norway. That may change as long-term forecasts have great uncertainty, but it may be a sign of a foretaste of spring, he says.
The research works like this: Several hundred alerts are created from various weather forecast models, before they are then combined, briefly explained.
Climate researcher Erik Kolstad
This combination usually gives no clear signals or answers, but occasionally the models have a predominance of cold or heat.
– Now there is a predominance of mild weather in accordance with normal. Regarding the precipitation, there are no clear signs of one or the other, but mild weather late in winter unfortunately often means that it will also be wet.
When Kolstad looks at March as a whole, however, things are considerably more uncertain.
– Uncertainty is usually very high more than three weeks into the future. As it is now, it is difficult to get anything from these notifications.
2024-02-15 20:15:08
#Fears #soapy #jampacked #roads #winter #holidays #good
