More snow has fallen in parts of Sweden than in years. Hundreds of car and truck drivers were stuck on a highway in the south of the country – some overnight. A snowstorm also caused problems in Denmark.
Kristina Kuld Kristensen had to spend almost a whole day on the motorway near Aarhus. It was a horror experience for the Dane. After just a few hours in her car, she began to panic. “After two hours I couldn’t keep warm and I didn’t have enough gas to keep the car running all night.”
She found shelter for the night in Jacob Lund Kristensen’s truck. “I just thought she needed to come up here so she wouldn’t be so cold. She looked like someone who wasn’t feeling well. So I thought the least we could do is help each other.”
Enduring a 30-kilometer-long traffic jam
In the meantime, traffic on the E45 motorway was backed up for 30 kilometers after several trucks got stuck. An elderly couple was stuck in a medical transport without food. Others ran out of gas. The police tried to provide the stranded people with food and drink. The military and emergency services also helped on site.
In East Jutland, police urged people to stay at home. Because it could take a while before the situation eases, says Thorbjørn Grøfte from the emergency services: “We expect that there will be problems here for at least another day and a half. The weather and the large number of patients are a big challenge for us.” Because so many trucks are still stuck, numerous supermarkets are waiting for food.
Nothing worked on a highway in the south of Sweden: drivers were stuck for hours due to a snowstorm.
Minus 40 degrees in northern Sweden
Clearance services also battled against the snowstorm in southern Sweden. And here too, hundreds of people had to spend the night on the motorway. For a long time it snowed so heavily here that the clearing services couldn’t keep up. As soon as they cleared the path at the beginning of the traffic jam, new piles of snow piled up in front of the other cars. Schools were closed and thousands of households were without power.
But it’s not just the south of Scandinavia that has the winter weather firmly in its grip. Northern Sweden has been shivering in the extreme cold for days. The thermometer shows below minus 40 degrees. Even locals like reindeer herder Erik Sarri are freezing in these temperatures. “We’re really used to the cold, but when the temperatures get below minus 40, even I think it’s cold,” says Sarri.
It’s expected to stay freezing cold until the weekend
Trains no longer run, pipes freeze, and hardly anyone dares to leave the house anymore – one would think. But near Arjeplog in Lapland, tourist guide Michael Ballas continues to offer programs for the most hardcore holidaymakers.
“We did almost all of the activities. We went on a snowshoe hike. Unfortunately we had to cancel the moose safari, which was a shame for the holidaymakers. But instead we just heated up the sauna.”
Making the best of the freezing cold – there’s not much else left for the people of northern Sweden. Because the mega frost is expected to last at least until the weekend.
Julia Waschenbach, ARD Stockholm, tagesschau, January 4th, 2024 5:08 p.m