Norway storm: Trail of destruction after most powerful storm in over three decades

Waves break over the end of the runway at Sumburgh Airport in Sumburgh, Shetland Islands, on January 31, 2024, as severe weather from Storm Ingunn affects flights and ferry travel. Photo: AFP

Central Norway awoke to a scene of chaos and power outages as the nation faced its most potent storm in more than 30 years. Hurricane-force winds, reaching gusts of up to 180 kilometers per hour, battered parts of the Scandinavian country, causing widespread havoc.

In the small town of Laerdal, northeast of Bergen, Norway's second-largest city, the storm's intensity took a toll, newswire AP reported. A bus carrying 14 passengers was forcefully blown off the road by the powerful winds, fortunately resulting in no reported injuries, according to local police.

The storm, named Ingunn by Norwegian meteorologists, made landfall in central Norway on Wednesday afternoon and continued its destructive path north on Thursday. The Norwegian Meteorological Institute issued a red warning, the highest alert level, for the Arctic region. Hurricane-strength gusts also affected parts of Sweden, with a red warning issued for the western Norrbottens district bordering Norway.

The impact of the storm was evident with flooded areas, disrupted transportation services, and damage to infrastructure. Airlines and ferry operators temporarily suspended services, and reports of closed schools, roads, tunnels, and bridges emerged both on Wednesday and Thursday.

In Bodoe, a large town in the Nordland district, several windows were blown out of a hotel, leading to downtown Bodoe being sealed off due to potential threats to life and health, as stated by the police. The storm's aftermath prompted the public safety agency in the Troendelag region to receive between 40 and 50 reports overnight from affected individuals, with more expected in the following days.

Sigmund Clementz of IF insurance emphasized that it was too early to estimate the cost of the storm damage. The storm's impact revived memories of a 1992 New Year's hurricane, one of the most powerful storms in Norway's history, which had also hit the same region, according to reports from the newspaper VG. (With inputs from newswire AP)