Two killed as storm hits Baltic states
In Latvia, more than 250,000 households remain without electricity; in Lithuania, more than 150,000; in Estonia, the number of affected households reached nearly 3,500 in the evening of Saturday but dropped to approximately 2,600 by early Sunday morning.
Consensus
- A powerful cyclone named 'Priska' passed through Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, and Belarus on August 22–23.
- Wind speeds exceeded 30 meters per second during the storm.
- Two people died: one in northern-eastern Lithuania after a tree fell on them, and another in the Latvian city of Jelgava under building debris.
- At least 14 people were injured in Latvia, with serious injuries reported from falling trees and branches.
- Over 250,000 households lost electricity in Latvia.
- More than 150,000 households were without power in Lithuania.
- In Estonia, nearly 3,500 households were affected at the peak, later reduced to about 2,600.
- More than 145,000 households lost power in Poland.
- Over 650 populated places in Belarus experienced power outages.
- Roads and public transport were disrupted due to fallen trees and flooding.
- Urban areas in Riga, Vilnius, and Tallinn were flooded.
- Water levels rose in rivers such as the Daugava in Riga, causing street flooding and basement inundation in buildings and homes.
Points of divergence
- The storm was the strongest summer storm in Latvia since at least 1966. — novaya_eu
- The blackout in Latvia affected approximately 277,000 customers by 7:00, with damage to both distribution and main power networks, including 46 out of over 150 substations and five power lines. — novaya_eu
- In Lithuania, the storm caused damage in over 3,000 locations, with 256,000 customers without electricity at the peak. — novaya_eu
- A firefighter was injured during storm cleanup in Bausska, and two women were injured in the Šilutė and Kaunas regions of Lithuania. — novaya_eu
- The storm was described as the strongest one recorded in the region that summer by the Lithuanian Meteorological Service. — tg_dwglavnoe
- Latvian media described the storm as the most destructive to hit the country since 2005. — tg_dwglavnoe
- In Estonia, rainfall reached 50–70 mm in 24 hours, with up to 90 mm in some areas. — meduza
Coverage (3 sources)
- Strongest storm passed through Baltic countries: two people died, streets of three capitals flooded, hundreds of thousands of houses left without power... — DW Главное
- Record storm hits Baltic countries. There are casualties, hundreds of thousands of households left without electricity — Новая газета Европа
- One of the strongest storms in recent years passed through Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. Two people died. The streets of Riga, Vilnius, and Tallinn were flooded. Many residents were injured by fallen trees — Meduza