Strong winds left about 2,500 electricity customers without power in Lithuania’s Klaipėda and Kaunas regions on Friday morning, as authorities warned that the strongest gusts were expected around midday.
The figure had risen from about 2,200 customers earlier in the morning, according to ESO, the country’s electricity distribution operator.
“We can see that the weather forecasts are changing. The wind is expected to be strongest between noon and 14:00, but it has already shown its strength this morning,” ESO spokeswoman Rasa Juodkienė told LRT RADO on Friday.
Most outages were reported in the Kaunas region, but reports from the coastal area were increasing as winds strengthened. ESO and contractor crews were being dispatched to repair the damage, the company said.
On average, electricity supplies are restored in less than two hours, according to ESO.
Fallen trees also caused problems along the coast. Jolita Orentaitė, head of the Fire and Rescue Department’s communications division, told BNS that a tree in Klaipėda fell onto three cars.
Most reports of wind-related damage came from the resort municipality of Neringa and the city of Klaipėda, she said.
The first report of wind damage was received at about 08:00. By 10:00, authorities had received about 10 reports, all from the coast. The strongest winds were expected around noon, Orentaitė said.
ESO forecast the most intense gusts between noon and 14:00, particularly along the coast, where they could reach severe-storm levels in some areas.
The company said it had mobilised about 200 crews of its own and contractors across Lithuania to respond to outages, compared with about 60 on a typical day. Additional crews were being organised for the weekend, and staffing at dispatch centres had also been increased.
ESO said it had informed municipalities in advance about the forecast storm and urged them to request generators if needed.
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