Powerful winter storm wreaks havoc; damage around Finland

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An exceptionally powerful winter storm raged in Finland on Wednesday evening and throughout the night.
      About 40,000 households were without electricity in southern areas when power lines were cut by falling trees. Powerful winds also tore off roofs of some buildings. One person was killed when a bus slid off the road in the southern community of Halikko.
     
At sea, gusts of wind of more than 32 metres a second were measured, and waves reaching a record 7.7 metres in hight were recorded, with individual waves reaching even higher - up to more than 13 metres. High waves were still reported in the Gulf of Finland on Thursday morning.
      The high-speed passenger vessels operating between Helsinki and the Estonian capital Tallinn remained in port because of the storm, and larger vessels also were not able to dock in the harbours of Helsinki, Hanko, and Porvoo, or to leave them.
      The ferry Tor, which currently handles transport between the island fortress Suomenlinna and the centre of Helsinki, sailed normally, but at night passengers at the mainland end of the route had to wade through high water at Helsinki's Market Square.
     
The bad weather also hampered efforts to put out a fire which engulfed the roof of the former nursing college in Helsinki's Meilahti area. The eight-storey building was undergoing repairs at the time. In spite of the difficulties caused by the heavy wind, the blaze was successfully contained and brought under control.
     
Conditions had calmed by Thursday. However, a new low-pressure area is expected in Finland from the west by Thursday evening.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Wind and snow threaten to hamper Christmas traffic in Finland (22.12.2004)

Helsingin Sanomat