The self-employed truck driver Niclas Nordström found himself trapped by snow on Sweden’s E22 motorway for an exhausting 20 hours on Wednesday and Thursday, describing the weather conditions as the worst he has encountered in his 30-year career.
Nordström, who has been operating his own road freight business since the 1990s, initially expected that the traffic blockage would have been resolved by the time he took the E22 on Wednesday. This assumption turned out to be incorrect, and he, along with approximately 1,000 other drivers, came to a complete stop near Linderöd around 1:45 PM.
“I thought the police would have already diverted traffic due to an earlier incident causing the jam,” the 58-year-old stated. “I didn’t think it through properly. With a bit more quick thinking, we could have avoided such long delays.”
As a severe blizzard swept through the area, nearly 1,000 vehicles became stranded on the E22 between Hörby and Kristianstad, prompting the Armed Forces to assist in evacuating people and delivering food and water to those trapped.
Nordström’s truck, equipped only with a day cab, lacked a bed, forcing him to sleep upright at the wheel. However, he considered himself better off compared to passengers in regular cars. He was heading to Lund in Skåne before continuing home to Olofström in Blekinge county and had no food or medicine, relying on the kindness of others.
“I met a couple from Holland who were very helpful the next day. I mentioned I was extremely hungry, and they invited me in for coffee and a sandwich,” he recounted.
Throughout the night, he frequently checked the Swedish Transport Administration’s website for updates, only to see the reopening times constantly postponed—from 8 PM, to midnight, then to 2 AM, and finally to 2 PM the following day.
Ultimately, around 10 AM, with help from a local farmer who cleared a pathway in the snow, Nordström and the Dutchman managed to leave the motorway. They drove against traffic down the cleared lane, flashing their warning lights until they reached a functional road.
“We both got out through that opening, driving against traffic, but it was safe as there were no other vehicles. It was our initiative that got us out; otherwise, we might still be stuck there,” he explained. Having primarily driven in southern Skåne and Blekinge, he remarked that such severe snow conditions were unprecedented in his experience. “I’ve never seen anything like this in my 30 years on the road. The last time Skåne saw such heavy snowfall was in 1979,” he noted.
