Heavy rain floods streets across Lithuania, land tornado spotted near Biržai

Heavy rain flooded streets in parts of Lithuania and hail fell as a cold atmospheric front moved across the country on September 1, LRT reported. A land tornado was also spotted near Biržai, according to footage shared on social media.

Weather forecasters from the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service said an area of intense precipitation, thunderstorms and small hail was moving across the country. They warned that heavy rain could make driving conditions difficult and cause temporary flooding on roads and in lower-lying areas.

Telšiai received 34 millimetres of rain in about two hours, nearly the amount expected during two weeks of September. Residents reported that several streets were heavily flooded for a time, while water also filled the stairwell of an apartment building.

Heavy rain also passed through Laukuva in the Šilalė district and Tauragė.

Residents near Biržai said they saw a land tornado in Anglininkai at about 2:40 p.m. The Orai ir klimatas Lietuvoje weather information page said the video and photograph appeared to show that the phenomenon had briefly reached the ground.

Hail fell in Kaunas district shortly before 2 p.m. Heavy rain and thunderstorms later reached Kaunas, flooding streets in the afternoon. People heading to the Akropolis shopping centre in the city centre had to cross a flooded street.

Iveta Urbė, the shopping centre’s marketing projects manager, told LRT that water had accumulated only near the building’s entrances because of the exceptionally heavy rain. The shopping centre continued operating normally.

Rain clouds reached Vilnius after about 3 p.m. The city experienced thunderstorms, heavy rain in some places and wind gusts of up to 15 to 17 metres per second.

Rain in the capital region eased in the evening, but further rain was forecast later, towards midnight.