Cyclone Kirsti causes widespread damage, power outages in Latvia

Power supply to around 30,000 houses in Latvia was disrupted on Monday morning due to storm damage caused by Cyclone Kirsti, which brought down trees and caused floods, reported Xinhua.

Since Sunday evening, Cyclone Kirsti has been raging in central Latvia, causing significant destruction in the capital Riga, and surrounding municipalities. Emergency services reported numerous fallen trees, street and basement floods, and traffic disruptions.

The strongest wind gusts, blowing at 27 meters per second, were recorded in Riga. Nearby municipalities, including the seaside resort of Jurmala, were also severely affected.

Kalnciems in Jelgava municipality experienced the heaviest rainfall, with 193 mm of rain in a matter of hours. The downpours and strong winds raised water levels in several rivers in central Latvia.

The overnight storm left tens of thousands of households without electricity. At its peak, around 50,000 households were affected, but this number had decreased to approximately 30,000 by Monday morning, according to Sadales Tikls, the power grid operator.

In Riga, the storm left hundreds of trees broken, roofs ripped off buildings, fences and damaged fences and outdoor installations. Motor vehicles, traffic lights and trolleybus cables were also damaged and basements, backyards and streets were flooded.

In the Jugla neighborhood, several thousand households and enterprises were left without electricity, and the operation of a drinking-water pump house was disrupted, as stated in a press release by the capital's press office.

Riga's acting Mayor Edvards Ratnieks said on X that Dome Square in the old town was closed to the public because the wind had damaged the roofing of the medieval Riga Cathedral.

Due to rain and damage across central Latvia, difficult driving conditions were reported on many highways, according to the agency LETA and Latvijas Valsts Celi (Latvian State Highways) representatives.

Two residents of Riga were hospitalized with serious injuries caused by falling tree limbs. People were advised to stay home due to the inclement weather on Monday.

Meteorologists forecast that rain is expected tonight in eastern and central parts of Latvia, with heavy rainfall and thunderstorms possible in some areas. The Latvian Center for the Environment, Geology, and Meteorology announced two red warnings, the highest warning degree, for the central part of the country on Sunday and Monday.

This is not the first severe storm hitting Latvia this summer. On July 11, a storm caused serious damage to the southern Latvian town of Bauska.