Winter returned with a vengeance in Southern Norway this week, with sudden heavy snowfall setting new records and disrupting road, rail and air traffic. Then it started raining, leading to fears that ice would pose more hazards since temperatures were due to drop again.

Tram lines in Oslo, like these through downtown and near the inner harbour, were plowed as a priority. Many other streets and sidewalks had to wait until much later in the day, and then the snow started melting and flooding intersections. That’s the historic Akershus Fortress and Castle in the background. PHOTO: NewsinEnglish.no/Morten Møst

Many areas were hit by more than half-a-meter of snow during the night, also in unlikely spots along the southern coast that’s otherwise known as “Norway’s Riveria” in the summer. Even the island off Arendal that’s home to the Torungen lighthouse registered more than 50 centimeters, as did the islands of Hvaler off Fredrikstad and on Nøtterøy, which had measured nearly 60cm of snow by Tuesday morning.

Norway’s state Meteorologic Institute confirmed that fully 11 of its measuring stations set new records for January on Tuesday and that all of Vestfold and Østfold were covered by snow. The maritime towns of Horten and Tønsberg also recorded around 50cm while Postmyr in Drangedal got the most, with 64.5cm.

These cars in Oslo’s Vika area aren’t likely to be going anywhere for awhile, especially since snowdrifts were likely to freeze solid during the night when temperatures were forecast to dive again. PHOTO: NewsinEnglish.no/Morten Møst

Parked cars disappeared under snow, some people had a hard time getting out of their homes and snowplow crews had to be selective in what roads and sidewalks would be cleared first. Police and emergency services urged motorists to drop any plans for driving, while many would have had trouble digging their cars out of snowdrifts anyway.

State broadcaster NRK reported that around 95,000 fewer cars were registered by the company in charge of road tolls in and out of Oslo on Tuesday. That indicates how many motorists heeded the warnings and didn’t attempt driving. In Rogaland on Norway’s southwestern coast, there were so many accidents that police couldn’t respond to them all.

Sidewalks like this prompted some Norwegians to get out their skis elsewhere in Oslo on Tuesday. PHOTO: NewsinEnglish.no/Morten Møst

Warnings forecast on Sunday and Monday that were just one notch below red alerts prompted many schools to remain closed Monday and Tuesday when they should have reopened after the Christmas- and New Year holidays. Home schooling was offered in Vestfold, the region southwest of Oslo and Drammen

Meteorolgists had themselves warned people already on Sunday and Monday to “just stay home,” and work from home if they could. That didn’t sit well with many employers, though, prompting newspaper Dagens Næringsliv (DN) to editorialize that employees “should take that up with their bosses, not the Meteorologic Institute.”

While some regional bus service continued and trams in Oslo managed to keep rolling, lots of other buses had trouble driving up hillsides, getting in and out of bus stops or turning around at the end of the line. Slick roads were also causing problems that were likely to continue as snowmelt was expected to freeze during the night and on Wednesday.

Oslo’s public transport agency Ruter was reporting on Tuesday afternoon that they were doing everything they could to get those who’d ventured into the city home again Tuesday afternoon. The metro system (T-bane) warned of cancellations and delays, as did the already severely troubled train system around the capital. Local train company Vy cancelled around half of all its commuter routes on Tuesday and, later, the line between Oslo and Bergen because of several avalanches between Hallingskeid and Myrdal.

It’s unusual for so much snow to fall so close to the fjord, like here near Tjuvholmen in Oslo, but that happened all along the coast from Fredrikstad in the southeast up to Oslo and south again to Arendal and Kristiansand in the southwest. PHOTO: NewsinEnglish.no/Morten Møst

Norway’s gateway airport OSL Gardermoen, meanwhile, was struggling to keep runways clear on Tuesday and many flights were delayed. “We’re plowing and gravelling but it takes time,” Cathrine Framholdt at state airports agency Avinor told NRK.

Lots of the snow that fell Monday night and Tuesday morning turned into slush and flooded roads after temperatures rose to well above the freezing point on Tuesday afternoon. Forecasts called for the sleet and rain that was falling to stop Tuesday night, but then temperatures were forecast to dive again and turn all the wet streets and sidewalks into solid ice, prompting recommendations for spiked footwear and studded tires on vehicles.

“We’ll still be facing challenges later in the week,” Christine Huseby Torjussen, preparedness chief for the regions of Østfold, Buskerud, Oslo and Akershus, told NRK. “We must be prepared for very slippery roads, streets and sidewalks through the week.” The sun was at least predicted to return on Friday and during the weekend, with temperatures falling back down to minus-8C or lower.

NewsinEnglish.no/Nina Berglund