Mild weather threatens Reindeer herd and brings flooding. by Steph Ball
Sweden, like much of Western Europe has been experiencing some very mild conditions, and while there have been some snow falls, in many areas the ground is barely white.
This unseasonably mild weather now looks set to threaten the reindeer herd of the Sami communities of Västerbotten in Northern Sweden. 50,000 of the 56,000 strong herd risk starving to death as they have been unable to reach their pasture.
The problem has been caused by wet snow freezing, forming a hard layer of ice which they have been unable to penetrate. Normally at this time of year the pasture would be covered by snow which the reindeer are able to plough through with greater ease.
The Sami communities have now begun to move as many of the herd as they can to grassier coastal areas before it is too late.
Meanwhile in Western Sweden areas in the Västra Götaland district around Gothenburg were put on the highest flood alert as lakes and rivers continued to rise after heavy rains. On Monday the district suffered widespread flooding and rescue workers continued to battle against the rising waters yesterday as further rain fell.
Emergency services were inundated with calls from homeowners and office workers as the flood waters seeped into basements and ground floor properties. Travel was also disrupted with some train services suspended and roads cut off by landslides. The main Gothenburg-Malmö train line was closed and is not expected to reopen until Friday.
Temperatures have been very mild across many parts of Scandinavia, with even overnight minima holding positive. Last night’s minima fell to plus 4.2C in Stockholm, 4.5C in Oslo and 4.0C in Helsinki. The December average for Helsinki is nearer minus 5C.
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