Storm Pia to disrupt traffic in Denmark in run-up to Christmas
Denmark's state forecaster has issued a warning for Storm Pia, which will bring hurricane force gusts to the country on Thursday evening, leading to closed bridges, cancelled ferries, and blocked roads just before Christmas.
The Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI), which named the storm Pia, expects it to hit the west coast of Jutland at 5pm on Thursday, arriving in western and northern Zealand a few hours later. The storm will bring strong winds, with gusts at hurricane strength leading to traffic disruption.
"We are warning of storms with everything that storms entail, such as restrictions on the bridges, problems with ferry traffic, fallen trees and blocked roads," Jens Lindskjold, the meteorologist on duty told the Ritzau newswire.
The winds are not expected to lessen until Friday evening, starting to subside on Christmas Eve.
"This does not mean that it will be calm," Lindskjold said. "It will still be windy after the storm, just not so much."
DMI expects the storm to hit Denmark's northwest coast hardest. Photo: DMI
As well as winds, the storm is expected to bring storm surges, with water levels 250cm to 350cm above normal along the Wadden Sea on the south-west coast of Jutland, 190-240cm above normal in the Limfjord, Kattegat, Great Belt and the northern part of the Øresund, and 130-160cm above normal in the Isefjorden and Roskilde fjord.
"This is an elevated water level in a category that we do not see every year," Lindskjold said.
As early as Tuesday afternoon, DMI began to urge citizens in coastal areas to begin to gather sandbags to protect their houses against flooding in the run-up to Christmas.
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The Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI), which named the storm Pia, expects it to hit the west coast of Jutland at 5pm on Thursday, arriving in western and northern Zealand a few hours later. The storm will bring strong winds, with gusts at hurricane strength leading to traffic disruption.
"We are warning of storms with everything that storms entail, such as restrictions on the bridges, problems with ferry traffic, fallen trees and blocked roads," Jens Lindskjold, the meteorologist on duty told the Ritzau newswire.
The winds are not expected to lessen until Friday evening, starting to subside on Christmas Eve.
"This does not mean that it will be calm," Lindskjold said. "It will still be windy after the storm, just not so much."
As well as winds, the storm is expected to bring storm surges, with water levels 250cm to 350cm above normal along the Wadden Sea on the south-west coast of Jutland, 190-240cm above normal in the Limfjord, Kattegat, Great Belt and the northern part of the Øresund, and 130-160cm above normal in the Isefjorden and Roskilde fjord.
"This is an elevated water level in a category that we do not see every year," Lindskjold said.
As early as Tuesday afternoon, DMI began to urge citizens in coastal areas to begin to gather sandbags to protect their houses against flooding in the run-up to Christmas.
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