Firefighters say they have received about 300 reports of fallen trees on roads and other effects as a powerful storm has been raging since Sunday afternoon, while more than 150,000 households are without electricity.
“There were reports of fallen trees. [...] Alytus, Marijampolė, and Kaunas districts were the most affected,” Robertas Šmitas, a spokesman for the Fire and Rescue Department (PAGD), told LRT RADIO on Monday.
He said that although the number of reports is high, firefighters are managing to cope with the consequences of the storm.
No casualties were reported, according to Šmitas.
People are advised to take care of their own safety and that of their property, and to secure outdoor objects that may be blown away by the wind.
The Energy Distribution Operator (ESO) reports that more than 150,000 consumers are without electricity due to the disaster.
“The numbers are growing by the hour, and at the moment we estimate that we have about 150,000 customers who are experiencing power cuts, and the bad news is that there are more than 3,000 sites that were damaged by the storm, all of which will have to be repaired and cleaned up,” said ESO’s Rasa Juodkienė.
The Vilnius City Municipality company Grinda announces that by 06:30 on Monday, it had received more than 70 reports of fallen trees obstructing traffic in the capital city.
“Grinda crews are working quickly to remove traffic obstructions, but as the storm intensifies, it is likely that these works may take some time. Use navigation apps to plan your route and timing, and consider postponing trips or working from home,” Grinda said on Facebook.
According to the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service, rain is expected in many districts on Monday, with heavy rain in eastern Lithuania.
Thunderstorms are possible in some places, with northwestern and western winds of 16–21mps, in some places 22–27mps.
Further reading
Two flights cancelled
As of Monday morning, two flights have been cancelled at Vilnius Airport due to bad weather conditions.
“To be more specific, the flight coming from Riga, operated by Air Baltic, and the Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul, which was due to land at Vilnius Airport at 10:40, have been cancelled,” Tadas Vasiliauskas, a representative of Lithuanian Airports, told LRT RADIO.
Other flights at the airport are operating normally, and no delays are expected so far.
Flights at Kaunas and Palanga airports are operating normally.
‘Catastrophic’ rain
On Monday, rainfall in three towns – Šiauliai, Telšiai and Laukuva in Šilalė District – reached the “catastrophic” level, the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service informed BNS.
According to its data, more than 90 millimetres of rainfall fell in the three towns.
“Catastrophic rain in Šiauliai, Telšiai, Laukuva, over 90 millimetres in 12 hours, well, that’s a whole month’s worth of rain in half a day,” meteorologist Gytis Valaika told BNS.
Catastrophic rain is considered to be a downpour when more than 80 millimetres of rain fall in 12 hours, while heavy rain is between 50 and 79 millimetres.
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