Located about 30 km from the Norwegian mainland, at the mercy of Vestfjorden, is Skrova. A small society of about 150 people. For the past days the ferry have not been here as storms and gale winds from southwest have created significant waves and cut off communications. Nothing out of the ordinary in late November, but today something is different.
The sound, or rather the roar, of the ocean is louder than the average storm. The little society is preparing for the worst. For storm surges, full moon and a high tide far out of the ordinary. As the weather is about to peak, local fisherman Egil run across the jetty in-between waves who show little regard for this man made attempt at controlling their force. It is a calculated risk for Egil, to see if his house is safe. Ten minutes after his return, a wave of such size and force hit that he would have disappeared into darkness.
The ocean came more than fifty meters inland. Rearranging boulders, houses and ripping a lighthouse lantern out of the ground. This was the storm Berit, and her effect and force was unseen until this November day. During high tide, the ocean reached 428cm above normal, higher than the previous record from 1949.
Extreme weather “Berit” 2011