A powerful cyclone struck Latvia and Lithuania over the weekend, resulting in two fatalities and leaving approximately half a million people without electricity. The storm, which brought heavy rain and strong winds, hit the region on Saturday and continued into Sunday morning.
In Latvia, the storm is considered the most severe since 2005 in terms of its overall impact, according to the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Center. One person died in Jelgava, central Latvia, when a portion of a building collapsed on Saturday. High winds, exceeding 67 mph in the capital, Riga, also caused widespread power outages, affecting over a quarter-million residents. Mobile services were disrupted, and rail and public transport experienced delays due to fallen trees and debris on infrastructure. Riga's airport reported potential flight delays and rerouting following the overnight storm.
Neighboring Lithuania also experienced significant impact, with one fatality reported after a person was struck by a falling tree. Over 200,000 residents were left without electricity on Sunday morning, and other injuries were reported.
Estonia was battered by strong winds, particularly in its western and northern regions and islands, leading to disruptions in ferry services to islands and delays in trains arriving from Latvia and Lithuania.
Northeastern Poland was also affected, with more than 100,000 people losing power.
While the full contribution of climate change to the storm's intensity is still under assessment, officials noted it is plausible that human-caused climate change may have intensified the rainfall associated with the cyclone. Conditions were expected to improve by Monday.