Storms topple trees across Lithuania, firefighters respond 49 times

LRT reported that severe storms swept across Lithuania on Thursday evening and overnight, bringing heavy rain, thunderstorms, squalls and hail. The Dzūkija region suffered the most damage, with trees brought down, roofs torn off buildings and traffic disrupted.

Firefighters responded 49 times to remove trees toppled by the storms, including 25 incidents in Alytus County.

“The tree removal work continued throughout the night. During one call, as many as 50 trees were removed, as happened in Varėna District. In Lazdijai District, 25 trees were removed during one call,” Saulius Raščevskis, a senior specialist at the Situations Coordination Division of the Fire and Rescue Department, told the ELTA news agency on Friday morning.

Most of the trees fell onto roads. In three cases, they landed on cars, while one fell onto a building. Firefighters also removed trees from power lines four times. In Šalčininkai District, a tree fell onto the roof of a two-storey apartment building. No one was injured in the incidents.

The Varėna and Lazdijai district municipalities were among the worst affected, and thousands of residents lost electricity. Electricity provider ESO reported 62 supply disruptions on Friday morning, affecting 2,143 customers.

Forecasters said some areas, mainly in western Lithuania, could see brief rain on Friday. Winds will be from the west and northwest at 8 to 13 metres per second, with temperatures reaching 21 to 26 degrees Celsius.

Some parts of the country may see brief rain on Saturday. Temperatures will range from 9 to 14 degrees overnight, with 15 to 17 degrees on the coast, and from 19 to 24 degrees during the day. The chance of rain will be low on Sunday, with possible fog in some areas overnight and daytime temperatures of 22 to 27 degrees.