Norway – ‘January in June’ strands drivers

[Horn]

“It was incredible to wake up to a full snowstorm in June,”

Sigurd Bjåen of Hovden, in the mountains of southern Norway, exclaimed on national radio Tuesday morning. The heavy and drifting snow forced closure of several highways, with others open only for convoy-driving behind snowplows.

(Excerpts) – On Highway 55 over Sognefjellet, emergency crews had to rescue 39 people from 17 vehicles that got caught and partially buried by the snowstorm Monday afternoon. “We couldn’t see a thing,” Terje Weka, an experienced snowplow driver, told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK). “There was so much wind and zero visibility. It was difficult to work, we had to just feel our way forward.” That highway was closed as well.

Most all motorists in Norway switched from winter- to summer tires weeks ago, believing that winter was over.
Snow hasn’t fallen to such a degree, even in the high mountains, since at least 1967.

http://www.newsinenglish.no/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/kamera-e1433241180109.jpg

http://www.newsinenglish.no/2015/06/02/january-in-june-strands-drivers/

[Cebu_4_2]

Wild, says it happened in 1967 also.

[Norweger]

Exceptionally bad summer this year. Last year we had warm, nice weather early on from the start of May and even a few days in April if I remember correctly. This year it feels like summer hasn't started yet.

[Neuro]

In August in 1996 I was travelling on the top of the bus, on the roof rack, between Manali and Leh in India, at one of the mountain passes about 16,000 feet high. I was caught in a snowstorm, it was a nice warm day, but all of a sudden it got down to freezing temperature. I put on a warm sweater and a raincoat, and 10 minutes later it was nice and warm again...