Snowstorms paralyze large parts of Sweden | News
A large part of Sweden was paralyzed on Monday after heavy snowfall over the weekend, especially the capital Stockholm was affected.
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Motorists struggled due to wet and heavy snow on the roads, and several train departures were canceled while flights were delayed.
On Sunday, Sweden’s Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) issued yellow and orange warnings for southern Sweden due to predicted dangers in the wake of the snowfall, and people were also urged to work from home on Monday if possible.
Schools in the southwestern city of Trollhättan decided to offer distance learning for almost 3,000 high school students, as all bus routes were cancelled. The snow also affected power lines with disturbances from various areas.
In the Kalmar region, about 30 miles south of the capital, the power company E.ON deployed track cars and helicopters to fix power lines. With almost a quarter of the country’s population, the Stockholm region was the most affected.
European heat degree days weighted with heat for electricity are about 105 degree days below normal since the summer (1 Sep to date), which corresponds to an avoided demand of about 18 TWh of electricity.
The next 15 days are forecast to be 19 degree days (or about 3.2 TWh) below normal pic.twitter.com/p4eKjZpBgh— Lukas Lundström (@lukstroem)
November 20, 2022
About 1,600 railway switches in and around the capital were stuck by 30-40 centimeters of wet snow and had to be cleared of snow. The blocked railways in the Stockholm region had a knock-on effect on rail traffic in other regions. Roads were also blocked by snow, fallen trees and branches as well as non-moving vehicles, Dagens Nyheter (DN) reported.
– We prioritize roads where public transport, the emergency services and important deliveries need clear roads, says Malinda Flodman, spokesperson at the municipal road and traffic department.
About ten snow removal vehicles had broken down under the heavy load and a few vehicles were also damaged by lightning early Monday. As snow removal work was still ongoing at lunchtime on Monday, SMHI predicted that the snowfall in southern Sweden would continue throughout the day.