Winter storm hits Norway hard

SIKU CIRCUMPOLAR NEWS

Waterfronts in Norwegian towns and cities were flooded and power was knocked out last week as a ferocious storm called Inga knocked Norway with high winds, snow and rain. Cell phone coverage was affected because of power cuts to telephone towers.

Passengers on a night train from Oslo to Bergen sat stuck in the mountainous area last Thursday, after a rock and snow slide blocked the tracks.

Climatologists say heavy winds, which have battered Norway, the United Kingdom and much of northern Europe in recent weeks are a sign of climate change.

In Norway, meteorologists said the first six days of January were the warmest on record since 1938 in Oslo. Meanwhile, Belgium had its warmest Jan. 10 on record. Brown bears in parts of the Czech Republic and neighboring Slovakia woke up from hibernation. Flamingos at a zoo near Prague were seen to be building nests, something they normally don’t do until April.