Early on Sunday morning, storm Boelo reached the west coast and the coasts of Skåne and Blekinge, bringing strong gusts of wind. In Nidingen, for example, gusts of 29.1 metres per second were recorded.
SMHI has issued yellow warnings for strong winds along the coasts of Götaland and Svealand, both at sea and inland. But according to Erik Höjgård-Olsen, a meteorologist at SMHI, the warnings are not actually justified by the strength of the wind. The danger lies in its direction.
The southeasterly wind direction is relatively unusual. In most parts of Sweden, westerly or southwesterly winds are most common. As our trees grow, they get used to which side they need to be most resistant to, he says.
“Big risk”
Because the wind will not hit the trees on their strong side, and the rain will loosen the ground, it may be harder for tree roots to hold on.
We also have no frost in the ground, which could otherwise help hold the trees in place. All this combined means there is a fairly high risk of trees being felled, says Erik Höjgård-Olsen.
The winds are expected to strengthen during the morning and move east from the west coast, reaching the east coast around lunchtime on Sunday. They are not expected to move away from Sweden until the evening.
Cancelled trains
Several train departures have been cancelled ahead of the storm. Westbound trains between Gothenburg and Hallsberg have been cancelled and replaced by buses, Västtrafik announced. Other cancelled departures include trains between Kristianstad and Karlskrona, between Karlskrona and Emmaboda, and between Kil and Torsby.
In addition, a number of ferry departures to and from Gotland will be delayed by several hours, Hela Gotland reports. Ferry traffic between Bornholm and Ystad will also be affected on Sunday due to the strong winds.
