-40 degrees Celsius, 145 accidents, 12-hour traffic jams. Record winter in Europe
Up to 1,000 cars were stuck for hours in southern Sweden, a ferry with 900 people on board was unable to dock in Denmark, and there were at least 145 road accidents. These are the consequences of the winter attack that Scandinavia has been struggling with in recent days.
The Swedish armed forces were called in to deliver food and water to drivers who were stranded in snow in some places in southern Sweden for up to 12 hours. This is exactly what the people of Scandinavia have had to face in recent days. Not only is the temperature recorded here a record low, but traffic paralysis has occurred.
Scandinavia is struggling with a harsh winter
Up to 1,000 cars were stranded for hours on the E22 road between Hörby and Kristianstad in southern Sweden after blizzards gripped the country. Armed forces were sent to the site to help people evacuate their cars and provide food and water. According to Swedish media, some were stuck in the car for at least 12 hours. Police, emergency services and snow plows worked throughout the night to help stranded cars. The middle lane between the roads was cut to facilitate the passage of ambulances. Some people needed help because of health problems, including diabetes.
Some cars were freed on Thursday morning, but at 5:30 a.m. police said many people were still stuck in the snow. Skåne residents have been urged to stay at home and not go outside unless absolutely necessary.
Many bus lines and trains were canceled in Skåne on Thursday morning. On Wednesday alone, at least 145 road accidents were reported in the southern region of Sweden.
Record temperatures, communication paralysis
The cold front, which has dropped temperatures below -40 degrees Celsius in northern Sweden, will continue into the weekend. Thermometers are expected to show slightly higher values on Saturday, even above 0.
Sweden and Norway – where residents were surprised by half a meter of snow in one day – are not the only countries struggling with harsh winters. Denmark was also hit by snow and wind. A cruise ferry regularly sailing between Oslo and Copenhagen was unable to dock in the Danish capital on Wednesday.
Crown Seaways’ popular DFDS ship sailed from Oslo on Tuesday afternoon on schedule with 900 passengers and crew on board. But when it entered Nordhavn in Copenhagen on Wednesday morning, the weather was so bad that it was unable to dock, even with the help of a tug.
“They had to give up after 20 minutes,” passenger Casper Westergaard told Danmarks Radio. The only alternative was to sail back to sea at Øresund.
A Danish rescue helicopter reportedly evacuated one passenger in need of medical attention from the ship. Everyone else on board simply had to spend an extra night in their cabins, comforting themselves with free food and drinks.
“It’s irritating, but most people understand the situation,” DFDS press chief Dennis Kjærsgaard told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK).
Much of Europe was hit by winter snowstorms and freezing temperatures, as well as heavy rain and strong winds. On Wednesday, temperatures in the Nordic region dropped to -40 degrees Celsius for the second day in a row – with Finland and Sweden recording their lowest temperatures this winter.
The mercury showed -43.6°C in Kvikkjokk-Årrenjarka in Swedish Lapland. This is the lowest temperature recorded in January in Sweden in 25 years.
“This is the coldest temperature we have experienced this winter and it will continue to stay that way in the north,” said Swedish meteorologist Nils Holmqvist.
