Strong winds cut power to 2,900 customers in western Lithuania

About 2,900 electricity customers in western Lithuania were without power by midday Friday as strong winds toppled trees along the coast, LRT reported.

The largest share of power outages was recorded in the Kaunas region, while the number of reports from the coast increased as the wind strengthened, the electricity distribution operator ESO said. Its crews and contractors were responding to faults, with power restored on average in less than two hours.

Firefighters received most of their calls in Klaipėda County, the Fire and Rescue Department said. Many reports concerned trees fallen across roads. In Klaipėda, a tree fell onto three cars. Calls also came from the Kaunas, Panevėžys and Šiauliai regions.

The strongest gusts were forecast between noon and 2 p.m., particularly on the coast, where they could reach storm-force levels. Around 200 ESO and contractor crews were ready to respond across the country, compared with about 60 on a typical day. The company also increased staffing in its dispatch centres and began forming additional crews for the weekend.

Shipping in the Port of Klaipėda was restricted from 8 a.m. because of strong westerly winds. Gusts were reported at about 18 metres per second and could strengthen to 20.8 metres per second, while waves were between 4 and 6.9 metres high. No ships were waiting to enter or leave the port, a port authority representative told BNS.

About 2,200 customers in the Klaipėda and Kaunas districts had been without electricity earlier Friday morning, BNS reported.