Updated 14:44 | Published at 2:19 p.m
Rain continues to pour down in several parts of the country. Water levels are rising, and a bridge in Getinge is at risk of collapsing. Johan Wallin from the rescue service states, “We make new measurements every two hours to keep track, and it has increased with each reconciliation.”
The storm Hans has caused water levels to rise in various parts of the country. Since Wednesday, a bridge in Getinge has been closed due to the high water flow. Unfortunately, now it risks collapsing.
Johan Wallin from the rescue service explains, “We have a strained water level situation. It’s an old bridge, and the water is rising.” The emergency services are continuously monitoring the situation and taking measures to slow down the development. Wallin adds, “We have seen that it is starting to flood, so we are building barriers.”
During Thursday morning, the area experienced even more rain. Wallin says, “We have roads that are flooded, and there are generally very high water levels. We don’t know what will happen to the bridge, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed.”
The storm Hans has caused widespread damage, including floods, fallen trees, closed roads, and various weather warnings. The rescue service has been under high load in several parts of the country in recent days. However, the storm is starting to taper off.
Linnea Rehn Wittskog, a meteorologist at SMHI, explains, “Low-pressure Hans is weakening now. Today and the next few days, more rain is expected, but then it will weaken more, and the low pressure will disappear completely.”
The extremely deep and widespread low-pressure system in August is uncommon. Rehn Wittskog states, “It is more reminiscent of weather you see during autumn. There has been heavy rainfall in many places at the same time. In some places, it has rained as much in a few days as it usually rains for a whole month.”
SMHI has issued several hydrological warnings due to the increased water levels. Clara Villaro, the hydrologist in charge at SMHI, says, “We expect the water flows to start declining, and we will reduce the warnings in southwestern Sweden accordingly. However, reducing the warnings does not mean that the danger is over, as there are still strong currents.”
Yesterday, new 24-hour rainfall records were noted in Linhult and Knäred. Additionally, Delsbo in Hälsingland has already experienced record rainfall for the summer of 2023. However, not all areas have been equally affected, as Haparanda has set a new heat record.
In Norway, storm Hans has caused significant destruction. Several communities are underwater, a hydroelectric plant has collapsed, and a train bridge is at risk of collapsing. The country’s roads and railways are heavily affected, and thousands of residents have been evacuated due to the storm and flooding.