Heavy rain floods streets across Lithuania and Kaunas mall access

Heavy rain, thunderstorms and hail flooded streets in parts of Lithuania on Tuesday, with water also entering stairwells and basements, LRT reported.

A cold atmospheric front brought unsettled weather on the first day of autumn. Forecasters from the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service said an area of intense precipitation, thunderstorms and small hail was moving across the country.

Telšiai received 34 millimetres of rain in about two hours, equivalent to nearly two weeks of September rainfall. Residents said several streets in the city were temporarily heavily flooded.

Heavy rain also passed over the Laukuva meteorological station in the Šilalė district and the Tauragė station. Forecasters warned that driving conditions could become difficult, with short-term flooding possible on roads and in low-lying areas.

Kaunas was also hit by heavy rain and thunderstorms. Streets flooded in the city during the afternoon, and people trying to reach the Akropolis shopping centre had to cross a flooded street. Hail was reported in Kaunas district shortly before 2 p.m.

At 2:40 p.m., active rain and thunderstorm clouds were moving across much of Lithuania. Forecasters expected the systems to travel northeast, while new storm clouds were expected to develop in the eastern part of the country. Thunderstorms, heavy rain, wind gusts of up to 15 to 20 metres per second and small hail were possible.

The latest information cited in the report indicated that the heaviest rain clouds were expected to reach Vilnius at around 6 p.m.