Baltic NOW! Severe Storm Devastates Latvia, Lithuania and Beyond

A powerful storm hit the Baltic region on the evening of Sunday, July 28.
In central Latvia, hundreds of trees were broken, and building roofs were torn off.

In Riga, street infrastructure, vehicles, traffic lights, and trolleybus wires were damaged. Basements, courtyards, and streets were flooded. By noon on Monday, the city's emergency services had received more than 350 calls about storm damage. On Monday, public transportation was either halted or running late due to fallen trees and large puddles. Thousands of households were left without electricity.

By noon on Monday, the cyclone had brought 4.5 inches of rainfall to the capital, more than twice the previous record and 1.5 times the July monthly average.

In two locations, heavy rainfall flooded apartments in basement levels. Residents were evacuated. There were also numerous reports of cars damaged by fallen trees.

The storm damaged many municipal buildings, including a gymnasium and nursing homes. The wind nearly tore off the roof of the Riga Dome Cathedral, creating a dangerous situation as there was a risk of the roof's partial detachment.

In Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, firefighters received hundreds of emergency calls due to fallen trees, damaged vehicles, and flooded roads and fields. A woman died in the city due to a fallen tree.

According to the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service, catastrophic rains fell in three cities of the country — Šiauliai, Telšiai, and Laukžemė — with more than 3.5 inches of rain over 12 hours, equivalent to a full month's worth of rainfall in half a day.

A downpour is considered catastrophic if it exceeds 3.1 inches of rainfall in 12 hours.

Several flights in Vilnius and Kaunas were canceled or redirected to other Lithuanian airports as planes were unable to land due to the storm. There were also delays and cancellations on the railway network.

Southern Estonia also suffered from heavy rain and stormy winds but avoided significant material damage.

In Poland, the harshest weather was observed in the north and center of the country. Wave heights reached 4.9 feet, causing 18 boats to capsize on the country's lakes. Strong winds also brought down power lines. By Monday morning, about thirty thousand consumers were left without electricity. The storm resulted in two fatalities and two injuries in Poland.

In the Kaliningrad region of Russia, several municipalities were left without power due to the cyclone. On the Curonian Spit, the wind knocked trees onto the road.

In Belarus, the most affected areas were the Grodno and Minsk regions. The storm also downed hundreds of trees, damaged homes, and power lines. In one village in the Kobrin district of the Brest region, a gust of wind destroyed a 46-foot metal water tower. As a result, 10 apartment buildings and 61 private houses were left without water. In the Grodno region, a fallen tree branch trapped a forester, who was hospitalized.

Experts have labeled this storm as an exceptional event both in terms of timing and location, as such rapidly intensifying storms are extremely rare in continental Europe, especially in July. Scientists continue to sound the alarm, and those concerned about both their own fate and the fate of our society as a whole are trying in every possible way to draw public attention to the issue of escalating calamities and finding solutions. An international forum titled “Global Crisis. The Responsibility” was organized, presenting a path to solving the vital issue of preserving human life and all living things on our planet.