Winter storm raises sea levels on Finnish coast to record highs

Nuclear plant prepared for possible shutdown

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Finland got through the powerful winter storm that raged in Northern Europe during the weekend with little damage directly caused by the wind. However, while areas to the south and west of Finland bore the brunt of the storm, the winds in the southern part of the Baltic Sea pushed sea levels along the south and southwest coasts of Finland to record highs, causing flooding in many areas on Saturday night and Sunday.
      Early on Sunday morning, the water level in Helsinki was 151 centimetres above average. The previous record in Helsinki was 136 centimetres.
      Senior citizens had to be evacuated from their homes in Virolahti and Pyhtää. At the Sörnäinen Harbour in Helsinki, hundreds of newly imported cars - mainly Audis and Volkswagens - suffered water damage when a protective barrier made of sand and stone was breached.
      Water cut a number of roads and highways along the coast, as well as in the centre of Helsinki, where the Market Square was flooded. Water had to be pumped out of many cellars near the shore.
     
The record-high water level caused concern at the Loviisa nuclear power plant, which contains two of Finland's four commercial nuclear reactors.
      With water levels reaching 171 centimetres above the long-term average, the energy utility Fortum raised the level of alert at the plant, gearing up for a possible shutdown if the sea were to rise further. However, the water level came down in the afternoon.
     
The water level was highest in Hamina and Kotka in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland, where the surface was nearly two metres above normal.
      In Turku, in the southwest of Finland, the rising sea water caused considerable difficulties for ship passengers. Water flooded into the lobby of the Seaport Hotel in the harbour.
      One passenger getting off one of the ships that arrived from Stockholm was heard to wonder after seeing the flooded parking lot whether he should use "the backstroke or the breast stroke" when he leaves the passenger terminal.
      Firefighters were on hand to help people navigate to dry land.
     
According to Kimmo Kahma, special researcher at the Finnish Institute of Marine Research, Sunday set new records for water levels in the Gulf of Finland. He attributes the situation to a convergence of many factors: a deep low pressure system, winds of severe gale and storm force, and a shift in water in the main basin of the Baltic Sea.
      He says that the storm itself was related to the increase in differences in atmospheric pressure in the North Atlantic. The phenomoenon, known as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), has increased in intensity in the past 30 years, resulting in stronger westerly winds.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Powerful winter storm wreaks havoc; damage around Finland (23.12.2004)

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