Snow and wind bring slippery roads, cancellations
Image: YLE
A storm that has hit Finland from the west is bringing hazardous road conditions to parts of Central Finland. The Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) said on Sunday evening that a belt of snow was extending from the south-west to North Karelia.
This area could pick up between 10 and 20 centimetres of snow, while the south coast may receive sleet later.
Meanwhile winds were blowing at severe gale force of around 21 metres per second off the south coast, particularly around the Hanko peninsula. Some 13,000 Fortum customers were without power in southern and south-western Finland.
Police said roads were very hazardous due to heavy snowfall in North Satakunta, South Ostrobothnia, Pirkanmaa and Central Finland. Driving conditions are expected to become poor to very hazardous throughout central and southern Finland due to snow or sleet.
The FMI has also issued a warning of potentially dangerous winds on land in southern Finland, with gusts of 20 metres per second.
In the south-western town of Salo, flooding closed Satamakatu street, blocking access to the island of Vuohensaari.
Boats stay in port
With high winds and waves of more than four metres, Linda Line cancelled all of its sailings between Helsinki and Tallinn on Sunday, five departures in each direction.
Tallink cancelled one ship crossing from Helsinki to Mariehamn in the Åland Islands. However Eckerö Line says its vessels were sailing on schedule.
The civilian aviation authority Finavia reported no weather-related disruptions to flights. However Blue 1 has cancelled its 6.40am flight from Helsinki to Copenhagen due to an industrial dispute in Denmark.
Swedish officials issue class 3 warning
The same storm ravaged Denmark and south-western Sweden earlier on Sunday, cutting off electricity to thousands of homes and disrupting transport.
Many ferry operators cancelled sailings between Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Germany while the bridge between Sweden and Denmark was closed to traffic due to strong winds.
Swedish utilities Vattenfall, Fortum and Eon said the storm cut electricity to around 12,000 of their clients.
The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute issued a class 3 warning for the storm, its highest level, saying the extreme winds could pose a danger to the public and disrupt services.
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