The self-employed truck driver Niclas Nordström found himself trapped by snow on Sweden’s E22 motorway for a staggering 20 hours on Wednesday and Thursday, describing the weather conditions as the worst he has experienced in his 30-year career.
Nordström, who has operated his own road freight business since the 1990s, had incorrectly assumed that the traffic jam would have cleared by the time he took the E22 on Wednesday. He realized his error, along with around 1,000 other drivers, when he became stranded near Linderöd around 1:45 PM.
“I thought the traffic situation would have been resolved prior, so I assumed the police would have redirected vehicles to other routes,” the 58-year-old shared with The Local. “I should have given it more thought—if there had been quicker decision-making, we could have avoided such long queues.”
Up to 1,000 vehicles were stuck on the E22 road between Hörby and Kristianstad due to a blizzard, prompting the Armed Forces to assist with evacuations and deliver essentials like food and water to those trapped.
Nordström’s truck is equipped with only a day cab, meaning he had no bed and had to sleep upright in his seat, yet he felt more fortunate compared to those in passenger vehicles. Traveling to Lund in Skåne and then heading home to Olofström in Blekinge county, he found himself without food or medicine and relied on the kindness of others for help.
“There were various people around. I made friends with a couple from Holland who lent a hand the next day. I told them I was very hungry, so they invited me in for coffee and a sandwich.” He spent the night refreshing the Swedish Transport Administration’s website to check when the road would reopen, only to see the estimated time continuously pushed back.
Finally, around 10 AM, the Dutch couple received assistance from a local farmer, who cleared a three-meter-wide path through the snow. Both drivers then carefully maneuvered down the opposite lane while flashing their hazard lights until they reached a road that was clear.
“We drove out of the opening—both the Dutchman and I. Although we were technically going against traffic, there was no other traffic, so it wasn’t dangerous. It was our initiative that got us out; otherwise, we would still be stranded,” Nordström recounted. Having mostly driven through the southern counties of Skåne and Blekinge, he emphasized he had never witnessed snow conditions like those he faced on Wednesday. “In my 30 years of driving, I’ve never encountered anything like this. It’s been decades since Skåne saw such severe weather—since 1979, I believe, when the whole region was buried in snow.”
