About 10,000 households were still without electricity on Sunday morning, according to the Finnish Energy industry association.
Strong, gusty winds ravaged Finland on Saturday evening, cutting off electricity to more than 44,000 customers, especially in eastern areas. Households without power on Sunday morning were mainly on the Elenia and Järvi-Suomen Energia networks in eastern and central parts of the country.
Sustained winds of 22 metres a second were clocked on southern sea districts, with gusts of up to 28.6 m/s recorded at Helsinki’s Harmaja lighthouse, and over 27 m/s along the coast from Porvoo to Rauma.
Maintenance crews worked through the night to repair lines downed by fallen trees and branches, and the number of customers without electricity was declining.
Strong winds are set continue on Sunday. The Finnish Meteorological Institute has issued a storm warning for sea areas, with winds of up to 21 metres per second. There is also a traffic alert for slippery roads in central Finland, Kainuu and parts of Ostrobothnia due to snow or sleet.
The FMI has also issued advance warnings of very poor road conditions in southern and central Finland beginning on Tuesday evening because of an expected snowstorm. There are orange warnings of hazardous driving through most of the country on Thursday.
The storm came two weeks after the first-ever hurricane-force winds were recorded in Finland. That tempest caused significant damage to forests across southern and western Finland.
Islands cut off in Jyväskylä
Meanwhile in Jyväskylä, central Finland, residents of two islands were cut off on Sunday morning due to damage to the bridge connecting them to the mainland.
All traffic – including on foot – was halted across the Louhunsalmi bridge leading to Säynätsalo due to a broken supporting cable on the suspension bridge. It was not immediately clear whether the damage was caused by the windstorm.
The bridge was closed at around 8am. At first, the bridge could not be crossed even on foot, so the residents of Lehtisaari and Muuratsalo were momentarily stuck on their islands.
Later in the morning, pedestrians and cyclists were allowed on the bridge, but authorities said that unnecessary use of the structure should be avoided. Officials from the city of Jyväskylä and Central Finland rescue services were investigating the situation and controlling traffic in the area.
Rescue officials said that the bridge could be opened momentarily for emergency vehicle traffic.
The 178-metre bridge, built in 1957, is one of Finland’s longest. Säynätsalo and Muuratsalo are known for buildings designed by architect Alvar Aalto.
Ship loses cargo off west coast
A Cypriot-flagged cargo ship, the Optimar, was battered by strong storm winds last night off Kaskinen on Finland’s west coast, the Coast Guard said on Sunday.
Some 30 cubic meters of timber carried as deck cargo fell overboard amid rough waves, Jim Kvarnström of the Maritime Rescue Command Centre in Turku told Yle. The centre received an alert from the ship at 11:52 pm on Saturday.
According to the Marine Traffic website, the ship is en route from Estonia's Roomassaare Port to Kaskinen harbour near Kristinestad, but due to strong winds, its piloting into the harbour is currently suspended.
"We’re now at the mercy of the wind, so when the wind dies down and piloting resumes, the ship will get permission to enter the port. Normally, it would be anchored, but the weather is so bad now that the anchor may not hold," Kvarnström said on Sunday afternoon.
2.47pm: Added information about ship.
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