SATURDAY: Storm causes less damage than feared

High-speed ferries remain in port

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A powerful storm that swept over Finland on Friday night has caused less damage than originally feared. Falling trees blocked roads and cut electricity lines in many places, but no major accidents were reported. Power companies were busy restoring electricity on Saturday morning to thousands of households suffering from blackouts overnight. Worst affected were coastal areas in the southwest and south of Finland.
      The low pressure area that caused the storm has moved to Russia, and winds are expected to weaken by Saturday evening.
     
      FRIDAY:
      The first real autumn storm is expected to pass across Finland tonight, Friday, and into Saturday. According to the Finnish Meteorological Institute, the winds are expected to reach as much as 23 to 27 metres per second on average in maritime areas in the course of the day. The wind gusts can be dangerously strong also on land in some western parts of the country. The gale is predicted to reach its peak late in the evening, and nearly all high-speed passenger ferries operating between Helsinki and Tallinn have remained in port because of rough seas.
      The first real autumn storm is expected to pass across Finland tonight, Friday, and into Saturday morning.
     
According to the Finnish Meteorological Institute, the winds are expected to reach as much as 23 to 27 metres per second on average in maritime areas in the course of the day. The wind gusts can be dangerously strong also on land in some western parts of the country. The gale is predicted to reach its peak late in the evening.
      In the early morning, the gale-force winds recorded off the western coast around 5.00 a.m. reached an average speed of some 16 to 17 metres per second. The gusts of wind are predicted to develop into a storm within a few hours, reported the Meteorological Institute. The official storm limit is 21 metres per second.
      Part of today's and tomorrow's express ferry departures from Helsinki to Tallinn have been cancelled because of rough seas. However, one of Silja Line's SuperSeaCat vessels set off for for Tallinn at 8.00 a.m. this morning, according to the Helsinki Vessel Traffic Service VTS.
     
At least Linda Line has cancelled all its today's departures. Tallink, in turn, has cancelled all its Autoexpress departures, while the company's regular passenger ferries will be operated as scheduled.
      Even Nordic Jet announced in the morning that all their departures for today and tomorrow would be cancelled.
      Because of the bad weather, Silja Line has been forced to change the route of one of its cruise ferries, Silja Europa. Yesterday the vessel sailed from Turku to Stockholm instead of Kapellskär, and today it is to sail via Åland's Långnäs. / /
     
Furthermore, the power companies have engaged extra staff to repair potential power failures at the weekend.
      Markku Vänskä from the Vattenfall power company reported that the company and its network contractors will have several hundred electricians on standby across the country as of Friday.
      "Whether or not line faults occur depends largely on the form of precipitation we get", Vänskä noted.
     
"The worst alternative for us is wet slush which sticks to the branches of trees", he added.
      Also power supplier Fortum's southwestern network regions secured the availability of repair staff and equipment at the weekend.
      Moreover, Tero Kuusisto from Fortum reported on Thursday that the current number of standby electricians is double compared with a regular weekend.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Autumn storm leaves tens of thousands without electricity (15.9.2005)

Links:
  Finnish Meteorological Institute
  Finnish Maritime Administration

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