Extreme weather in Northern Europe

Norway: Houses washed away as severe floods batter parts of country

IB Times,

7 November, 2015

Houses have been swept away and roads have been flooded, after Norway saw record rainfall hit the country. Southern and western parts of the Scandinavian country have been battered by Storm Synne, with more than 170mm of rain falling in some towns over just two days.

The town of Egersund has been one of the worst hit places, on 6 December registering the heaviest rainfall since records began in 1897. Mayor of Egersund Odd Strangeland said: "A lot can still happen. We're closing a bridge right behind us here. We're not sure it can hold the water. We are talking about a 200-year flood."

More than 30 mudslides have been reported in the southern and western parts of the country alone. Egersund resident Roy Handeland said: "It was quite dramatic, a lot of things happening at the same time. We suddenly were told to evacuate, we needed to get all cars out of the area. The water started rising and a crane truck arrived. It was dramatic to get everything out."

Elsewhere, Eik, in the town of Lund, saw a record 178mm fall over two days. Moi also saw high wind and rainfall, with some houses becoming damaged in the conditions.

Magne Drange, from Moi, saw a tree crash into his house. "Yes, it is dramatic. It's very bad, there is a lot of force in the water. When a tree comes down in the flood, you're powerless," he said.

Ferry services were also disrupted on 6 December due to the adverse weather conditions.

Strong winds knock out traffic lights & trees, cause flooding in St. Petersburg 

A powerful storm has been raging in Russia's second city St. Petersburg, damaging traffic lights, trees and even monuments, and pushing the Neva River towards its limits. Just two more centimeters and the river will reach flood level for the first time in several years, meteorologists have warned.

The storm has been wreaking havoc since Friday, when the St. Petersburg dam gates were shut. The dam helps protect the city from floods by holding back water from the Baltic coming into the Neva Bay.

Raw: Floods Surge Across Northern England

Indian PM Links Worst Floods in a Century to Climate Change as More Cities Face Extreme Weather

Democracy Now!

In India, catastrophic flooding in the southern city of Chennai has killed at least 269 people and cut off basic services for more than 3 million people as the army and air force continue rescue operations. 

The flooding is being described as the worst in more than a century. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has blamed the flooding on climate change. 

"That region has never seen this a volume of rainfall," says Nitin Sethi, senior associate editor at the Business Standard in India. 

"Certainly, we are clearly seeing a pattern where rainfall systems are changing and also cities are incapable of adjusting to these kinds of extreme events. That is why I think developing countries like India are saying we need finances and technology to build new cities better rather than making it worse."