The storm that hit southern Finland on Wednesday morning has spread into central and eastern areas, bringing a mix of snow, sleet, rain and gusty winds.
Drivers are warned of very bad road conditions in southern and central Finland through Thursday – and definitely not to venture out on summer tires.
Five to 15 centimetres of wet snow are expected in many areas, while some inland areas of southern Finland could collect up to 30cm.
By early evening, the most snow has fallen in Uusimaa, where 6–16cm had accumulated. According to Foreca, the highest snow accumulation was measured in northern Espoo's Nuuksio National Park, where there was 18cm of snow.
Electricity companies scrambled to repair damage to power lines across large swaths of Finland on Wednesday. By evening, more than 45,000 households were without power, mostly in southern and eastern Finland.
In Porvoo, a bus carrying schoolchildren slid off a road around 4pm. The driver and eight passengers were taken to hospital for checkups.
In Espoo, where thunder was heard on Wednesday, a large, inflated sports hall in Finnoonniity collapsed under the weight of wet snow. Staff evacuated the structure before it collapsed just before 5pm. No injuries were reported.
In central parts of the country, the wind is expected to blast at up to 25 metres per second during the evening and night. Similar gusts were recorded along the south coast on Wednesday afternoon, including at Helsinki's Harmaja lighthouse.
"Violent storm winds" on Thursday
Some commuter trains as well as bus services, particularly in sparsely populated areas, were cancelled. By afternoon, Finnair had cancelled about 10 flights.
Some passenger ferries remained in port as the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) predicted rough seas with waves of up to seven metres and winds of 21 metres a second.
Wasaline announced that at least Thursday's first two departures of the Aurora Botnia between Vaasa and Umeå, Sweden, have been cancelled.
For Thursday, the FMI issued a rare red warning for the Sea of Bothnia off Finland’s west coast, with northeasterly "violent storm winds" of up to 31 metres a second.
To be updated.
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