Danger of snowy pike in mountain areas in northern and southern Norway – NRK Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country

The Norwegian Meteorological Institute warns of strong easterly winds in exposed places and periods of snow from Thursday evening and the beginning of the night to Friday.

On Thursday morning, they send out a warning about the danger of snowpack.

– We see the challenges with this type of weather at the southernmost mountain passes between east and west. It is typically Hardangervidda and Haukelifjell that are most exposed, says on-duty meteorologist Martin Granerød to NRK.

Skiers in the high mountains should be careful

He also encourages Easter walkers in the exposed areas to be careful on Maundy Thursday.

– Even though it has been fine now in the morning hours, the wind should increase throughout the afternoon and evening. Especially if you are on a ski trip in the high mountains, it brings with it poor visibility and bad conditions, the meteorologist points out.

It is the combination of light to stiff gales with an area of ​​precipitation moving from south to north that can present challenges. The snow line is expected to be around 800-1000 metres.

– The snow limit will be variable. The snow limit will be highest in the southernmost mountain areas, says Granerød.

There may be queue driving or closed sections

Traffic operator Tom Erik Englaugstad at Vegtrafikksentralen west, encourages motorists in the relevant areas to follow road and weather reports and plan their trip.

– There may be local difficult driving conditions, and queue driving or closed roads may be introduced at short notice on certain stretches. This applies to all east-west mountain passes, he says.

The bright spot is that a slight improvement is expected throughout the day on Good Friday. The meteorologist thinks there may be sunny spots in southern Norway:

– There is a small weather window from Friday afternoon/evening to Saturday morning. Saturday morning doesn’t look too bad in the mountains. But beyond Saturday it will be cloudy, with rain, sleet and snow that will pass again.

Snow pike danger also in the north

Snowflake danger has also been announced for the north of the country, and it is ongoing.

– A warning already applies to the whole of Finnmark, with the exception of Vidda, and parts of North Troms are exposed, says meteorologist on duty in Northern Norway Ingvild Villa.

This began on Wednesday, and applies until Friday morning.

– Right now there is a small break, with a bit of wind that is turning over to a northerly direction. But there are still some local challenges, and stronger winds have been reported throughout the afternoon and evening today, says the meteorologist at 11.30 on Maundy Thursday.

She points out that there is also a snow forecast warning for parts of Nordland, from 400 meters upwards.

– So for mountain passes in Helgeland, Salten and Ofoten. It starts tonight from 19:00 and applies until Saturday morning. Then strong winds are expected in combination with some rainfall, says Villa.

Traffic operator at Vegtrafikksentralen nord, Fredrik Nyland, believes there could be major challenges.

– I see from the warning that, especially on Saltfjellet, it looks like there could be major challenges from tonight and beyond tomorrow. Then the wind can reach 25-26 meters per second in the gusts, and from experience we close or switch to column driving then.

Nyland says there is hope that the worst will blow over before greater Easter traffic is expected on Sunday and Monday.