A widespread hazardous wind warning is in effect in southern Finland on Sunday. Photo: Heikki Saukkomaa / Lehtikuva
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A powerful thunderstorm swept across southern Finland on Sunday morning, triggering lightning strikes, halting metro services in Espoo and prompting widespread weather warnings for hazardous winds.
The Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) reported that a storm front passed through the Helsinki metropolitan area around 9:30am, bringing heavy rain and gusts reaching up to 20 metres per second.
Lightning was recorded across multiple regions, with incidents reported in both Satakunta and Pirkanmaa.
Pinja Rauhamäki, duty meteorologist at the FMI, said the event was typical for the season but intense in localised areas.
Metro services in western Espoo were suspended after a lightning strike near a station. The Helsinki Region Transport Authority (HSL) confirmed that trains operated only as far as Kaitaa station, with the three westernmost stations out of use. Anton Aaltonen, HSL communications officer, said the exact location of the strike was unclear but possibly near Soukka station.
“When there is a power issue, safety systems are triggered, and metro traffic cannot operate. It’s unlikely anything happened directly at the station, but the situation is being assessed,” Aaltonen said.
The disruption was expected to last until 2pm, pending safety checks and technical restoration. No injuries were reported.
Elsewhere in Espoo, emergency services responded to stormwater issues linked to the morning’s rainfall. In Helsinki, flooding was observed on Mechelininkatu, where water pooled heavily on the road.
Lightning also caused fires in western Finland. In Kangasala, Pirkanmaa, a strike hit a tree in a residential yard, damaging the electrical system and starting a small fire. Emergency crews extinguished the fire and secured the site. In Kokemäki, Satakunta, lightning struck an outbuilding. The owner managed to control the fire before fire services completed the extinguishing and removed a smouldering wall.
The FMI warned of continuing strong winds and rain throughout the day, especially in southern and central areas. Localised rainfall could reach up to 40mm. In central regions, wind gusts were forecast to range between 15 and 19 metres per second, enough to fell trees and cause minor structural damage.
The Tuska metal festival in Helsinki issued alerts to attendees, citing possible impacts on Sunday’s programme due to wind conditions. Organisers said they were monitoring weather forecasts and safety advice.
In Loppi, organisers of the large Suviseurat religious gathering reinforced structures and prepared wind barriers as storms approached the area. Authorities forecasted thunderstorms, heavy showers and dangerous gusts in Kanta-Häme. One death occurred at Suviseurat in 2023 in Pudasjärvi when a temporary mast collapsed during high winds.
FMI stated that weather conditions would gradually ease overnight into Monday as the low-pressure system moved east. Temperatures in southern and western Finland were expected to reach 20°C on Tuesday, with brief sunny spells forecast before unsettled weather returned later in the week.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
