Beach strolling bird watchers on the south-eastern Swedish island of Oland were confounded recently when they stumbled upon giant ice balls the size of footballs on the shore. Read the full story

The weather forecast in Iceland over the coming days calls for recent weather patterns to continue, meaning that snow for Christmas in the south look unlikely. However, those in northern and eastern Iceland are still keeping their fingers crossed for a White Christmas. Read the full story

The wild empty expanses of Lapland are no longer free range for Finland’s snowmobile riders. SIKUnews reports that local police have had enough of snowmobile speedsters zipping through Lapland’s ski resort towns and will start treating the recreational machines the same as cars. Read the full story

On Saturday, local authorities in the Norwegian town of Forsand were informed that a massive avalanche had occurred at Pulpit Rock, a popular rock formation in Lysefjord. The mayor of Forsand, Ole Tome Guse, has asked locals to stay away from the area until the stability of the rock can be assessed. Read the full story

In an effort to make its roads safer for drivers, Sweden has equipped a stretch of its main E4 motorway with high-tech equipment that will warn drivers about dangerous driving conditions. A 4km section of the E4 between Pitea and Lulea is now fitted with 400 solar-powered devices that send information to a wireless network concerning icy roads, traffic and other Read the full story

A cold snap has caused confusion in Sweden, as heavy snow fell on northern parts of the country on Saturday. According to reports in The Local, weather forecasts predict the freak storm will bring the season’s last snow.

Residents, geared up for spring, were not expecting the large amount of snow, which caused large-scale power cuts.

Evelyn Nykvist in Sorskog told a local news agency: “I am just heading out to shovel the snow, it’s feels a little tough. I measured this morning and 24 centimetres of snow had fallen during the morning.”

The storm affected most of Dalarna as well as inner Halsingland, Harjedalen, Jamtland and the Are ski resorts.

The meteorological agency of Sweden, SMHI reported 14 to 15 centimetres of snowfall in Leksand, Malung and Rattvik in Dalarna.

Sten Laurin, a meteorologist for SMHI said: “It has snowed quite a lot, as far south as parts of Varmland. Further south than that the snow turns into slush.”

Residents in the affected areas were out on the streets on their bicycles the day before the storm and were left scrambling to locate their cold weather clothes the day after the unexpected snowfall.

Several cars were unable to handle the winter driving conditions in the Falun-Borlange area, most likely a result of having already removed their winter tyres.

Southern Norway was hit by massive snowfalls over the weekend that led to delayed flights, road closures, halted transport and no electricity for thousands of residents, reports Aftenposten.no.

Friday marked the first big snowfall of the winter season, accompanied by strong winds that prompted police to advise residents to stay home on Saturday. Many cars and trucks ran off the road due to low visibility and slick roads, while around 10,000 households lost power in Sørlandet.

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