Self-employed truck driver Niclas Nordström found himself ensnared by heavy snow on Sweden’s E22 motorway for a staggering 20 hours on Wednesday and Thursday, describing it as the most severe weather he has faced in his three-decade career.
Having operated his own road freight business since the 1990s, Nordström initially believed that the traffic jam he encountered on the E22 would have been cleared by the time he arrived on Wednesday. However, he soon realized he was mistaken when he and around 1,000 other drivers were caught in a standstill near Linderöd at approximately 1:45 PM.
“The reason for the jam had occurred well in advance, so I assumed the police would have redirected traffic,” the 58-year-old explained to The Local. “In hindsight, I didn’t think it through properly. If more quick thinking had occurred, we wouldn’t have faced such lengthy queues.”
As blizzard conditions lashed the region, nearly 1,000 vehicles became stranded on the E22 between Hörby and Kristianstad. The Armed Forces were called in to assist, evacuating people from their vehicles and providing food and water to those still stuck.
Nordström’s truck was equipped with only a day cab, meaning he had no bed and had to sleep upright in the driver’s seat. However, he maintained he was in a better position than those in passenger vehicles. Traveling to Lund in Skåne before heading to his home in Olofström, he found himself lacking food or medication and needed to rely on the kindness of others.
“I met a couple from Holland who were very generous,” he recounted. “I told them how hungry I was, and they invited me in for coffee and a sandwich.” During the night, he frequently checked the Swedish Transport Administration’s website for updates on when the road would reopen.
“Every time I checked, the reopening time was pushed back—first to 8 PM, then to midnight, then 2 AM, and finally to 2 PM the next day,” he noted.
Ultimately, around 10 AM, with the assistance of a local farmer, the Dutch couple and Nordström managed to exit by clearing a three-meter-wide path through the snow. They then drove against traffic in the opposite lane, flashing warning lights, until they reached a usable road.
“We both drove out through the opening,” he said. “We were technically going against traffic, but there was no traffic, so it wasn’t dangerous. We only managed to escape because we took the initiative; otherwise, we might still be there.” Nordström remarked that he had never encountered such extreme weather conditions before, adding, “This is unlike anything I’ve experienced in 30 years of driving. It hasn’t been this bad in Skåne since 1979 when the entire region was covered in snow.”
