– Along the Norrland coast it has been extremely difficult with snowfall combined with strong winds, we don’t have time to remove the snow when we plough, says Beisi Sundin at the Swedish Transport Administration.
Slippery and poor visibility due to snow has caused a number of accidents and accidents. Several larger vehicles such as trucks and buses have also slid off the road.
– There have been stops to and from and many small accidents, but no major, serious accidents. There have been problems with accessibility, mainly in Stockholm where there is the most traffic, says Beisi Sundin.
Snow chaos in Stockholm
The Swedish Transport Administration has difficulty plowing through the dense Stockholm traffic at rush hour.
– When the traffic decreases, we can plow more efficiently, says Sundin.
She gives motorists who have to go out in the snowstorm the following tips:
– Stick to the larger roads that are plowed more often than the smaller ones, and look for information about stops along the way – there may be alternatives.
The snow also affects train traffic, among other things in the form of switches that snow again, resulting in delays and canceled departures.
Tourist bus in the ditch
In Edebo, north of Norrtälje, the Eckerö line’s bus with about 35 people on board overturned into the ditch. No injuries have been reported, writes Norrtelje Newspaper.
On the E18 near Brottby, queuing chaos arose when a truck blocked the road. People began leaving stationary buses and walking on the highway, according to the paper.
The rescue service in Uppsala county warns that it is very slippery on E4 and E18 and people are asked to stay at home, writes Uppsala New Newspaper.
Canceled school buses
In the municipality of Gävle, all school buses had to be cancelled, reports Gefle Daily. Even in Skellefteå, the snow affected the schools, which closed earlier due to the storm.
SVT also reports that the emergency services in Umeå have tracked wagons ready, should they be needed.
– We are a bit on standby if, for example, the home service needs help. If roads are not plowed, we should be able to help them, says fire chief Yngve Isacson to SVT.
The ambulance helicopter stationed in Lycksele has not been able to fly due to the snow storm, reports P4 Västerbotten.
Flights had to be turned around
At the same time, several flights from Arlanda to, for example, Umeå have been delayed due to the snow storm, they say The Västerbottens-Kuriren.
A plane that would have landed in Umeå at lunchtime was forced to turn back towards Bromma.
There have also been several traffic accidents in the north, including two trucks colliding on the E4 south of Umeå, which led to a trailer loaded with wood chips overturning.
The heavy snowfall and the strong wind continue along the coast in Västerbotten. Even in Uppsala and Stockholm counties, where it snowed heavily on Tuesday, the snowfall is expected to continue a bit into Wednesday.
In Västerbotten’s coastal region, an orange warning is issued until Wednesday morning.