An overflown intersection in downtown Helsinki in June 2023. Urban regions in Finland could see flooding as a storm front tracks north across the country during the course of Tuesday. (Roni Rekomaa – Lehtikuva)
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THE THUNDERSTORM that has been billed to be the strongest of the decade is expected to reach peak intensity on Tuesday instead of Monday, according to Helsingin Sanomat.
The Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) on Sunday stated that thunderstorms and strong winds can occur already today but the full impact of the weather front will not be witnessed until tomorrow.
The storm is tracking toward Finland from the Baltics. It is currently forecast to hit southern parts of the country tomorrow morning and central parts of the country by noon, ultimately reaching even southern parts of Lapland. Only the northernmost parts of the country will be spared from the heavy rains, strong winds and intense lightning activity brought by the weather front.
The storm is not expected to lose strength as it continues tracking north through Finland.
“Equally strong [weather] phenomena are expected up north,” Tuukka Keränen, a meteorologist at FMI, stated to Helsingin Sanomat on Sunday.
On Tuesday, base wind speeds will range from 10–15 metres, according to Keränen. Gust speeds, however, can peak at 25–30 metres during the thunderstorms, increasing the probability of branches breaking off, trees falling, outdoor items being blown away, and shingles, and tiles, shingles and other roofing structures coming off.
Also isolated tornados and intense local showers can occur in conjunction with the thunderstorms, the newspaper reminded.
The Finnish capital region will see the worst of the storm tomorrow morning, with thunderstorms dumping 10–20 millimetres of water over a short period, possibly flooding streets and underpasses. Keränen estimated that the storm should have passed the capital region by noon on Tuesday.
The storm has been compared to the worst storms witnessed in Finland in 2010, Asta and Sylvi. Do the latest forecasts still indicate that it will be one of the strongest of the decade, Helsingin Sanomat asked Keränen?
“The conditions for that are good, so to say. We’re talking about a very intense situation,” he replied.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
