This week brought the strongest storm so far of the 2023-24 European season, as Storm Ingunn slammed into Norway on Wednesday with hurricane-force winds. A deep, multi-centred area of low pressure intensified as it moved eastwards towards Scandinavia, displaying signs of possible sting jet activity as it approached the Norwegian coast. A sting jet is a narrow channel of very strong winds – often more than 100mph (160km/h) – that can form when low pressure systems strengthen rapidly, with these winds descending from upper levels towards the surface.
The storm deepened to a lowest central pressure of 940hPa on Wednesday evening, approaching Norway’s official low pressure record of 938.5hPa, set in 1907. The storm is the most powerful Norway has seen in decades, with sustained winds equivalent to those from a Category 1 hurricane. Gusts of 80-100mph were widespread along the west coast during Wednesday afternoon and overnight, with the Norwegian Meteorological Society announcing on Thursday a strongest confirmed gust of 115mph at Sklinna Lighthouse on the island of Heimøya, north of Trondheim. Some reports from the Faroe Islands suggest that gusts there could have reached up to 155mph, but these numbers were unconfirmed at the time of writing.
Flights and ferries were cancelled, alongside closures of schools and other transport links, with power cuts across central parts of Norway. A hotel in the town of Bodø had several windows blown out of its top floor, and a bus carrying 14 passengers was blown off the road in Bergen.
Elsewhere, Kashmir Valley in Indian-administered Kashmir received its first significant snowfall of the winter, after two months with very little precipitation. This ended one of the longest dry spells seen in the Greater Himalayan region, bringing much-needed snow for ski tourism. Aside from the lack of snow damaging the local economy, the prolonged dry conditions exacerbated the risk of wildfires, and could have implications for water scarcity in the region.
There was 79% less rain than normal in the Jammu and Kashmir area in December, with no precipitation recorded in the first week of January. However, 25-38cm (10-15 inches) of snow was recorded across the region on Thursday, blocking transport links and cutting off smaller settlements. The Indian Meteorological Department has predicted above-average precipitation for the remainder of February.
