Strong winds roar across central Sweden
High winds from Storm Alfrida lashed the coastline of central Sweden Wednesday morning, toppling trees, hindering traffic, and knocking out power to thousands.
The hardest hit areas have been the counties of Stockholm and Uppland though the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) has removed its earlier weather warnings for the two counties. A warning for storm gusts is still in effect Wednesday morning for the island of Gotland and the surrounding waters in the Baltic Sea.
Rescue services and the Swedish Transport Authority are out dealing with fallen trees and other debris on roadways. So far, though, there haven’t been any reports of serious accidents or injuries.
Swedish Transport Administration spokesman Bengt Olsson told Swedish Radio that the main highways are mostly safe and clear of debris. But that smaller backroads could be blocked.
Related links from around the North:
Canada: An exceptionally nice fall in Canada’s Yukon this year, CBC News
Finland: Strong winter storm batters Finland, causing power cuts, traffic delays, Yle News
Norway: Vegetation in Arctic Europe disturbed by mid-autumn thaw, The Independent Barents Observer
Russia: Arctic coastal town of Dikson is fastest-warming place in Russia, The Independent Barents Observer
Sweden: Warm temperatures lasting into autumn across Sweden, Radio Sweden
United States: New study predicts ‘radical re-shaping’ of Arctic landscape by 2100, CBC News
