Storm leaves Bauska nearly cut off from outside world
Sunday 23rd August 2026 on 21:30 in
Latvia
Bauska was nearly cut off from the outside world on Sunday as the storm disrupted electricity, mobile communications, internet access and shop operations, LSM reported.
A car park outside a shopping centre was empty around midday, although it is usually busy. Drivers passed by after finding that the store was closed. The shopping centre was not the only store in Bauska that remained shut. Only one Lidl store was operating, but residents said card payments worked for some customers and failed for others, forcing them to look for cash.
The city had no electricity throughout the day, while mobile communications and internet access were also unavailable. Residents could send text messages, but they often reached recipients much later. People said they were missing basic conveniences, including the ability to boil water.
One woman said the electricity had gone out at around 10 p.m. on Saturday. Asked what she had missed most, she said being without communications had been particularly difficult.
A local bus driver said the card terminal had not worked in the morning. Asked whether passengers had been worried about not having cash, he replied: “We transported them anyway.”
A cyclone reached the Baltic states from the south on Saturday, bringing storm conditions. Red-level warnings were in force in central and western Latvia, while orange and yellow warnings were issued elsewhere.
Latvia’s State Fire and Rescue Service reported that one person died in Jelgava after a building structure collapsed. A firefighter was injured while clearing storm damage in Bauska Municipality and was taken for medical treatment. In Aiviekste Parish, Aizkraukle Municipality, a tree fell on a person.
The storm disrupted electricity supplies for more than 250,000 people. Many residents were told by responsible services that restoring power could take more than 24 hours. The cyclone’s trajectory and characteristics were similar to those of the powerful storm that hit Latvia on July 29 and 30, 2024.