According to the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), an unusually strong autumn storm is scheduled to arrive in Finland on Wednesday.
The storm is expected to cause power outages caused by wind-felled trees as well as very harsh conditions at sea.
In its forecast, the FMI said that a large storm system would reach the west coast of Finland on Wednesday afternoon and moving east would intensify during the night.
Heavy rains and strong winds are expected to spread to the central and southern parts and continue on Thursday.
Storm winds are likely to blow in the Gulf of Bothnia as early as Wednesday afternoon. On the southwest and west coasts, gusts are expected to rise to 25 m / s.
As the storm progresses, wind speeds will also increase in the northern regions and reach the eastern parts of the country on Thursday afternoon, where, according to the forecasting agency, winds are expected to be as high as 20 m / s.
Clouds and rain are expected to arrive in the central and northern parts as early as Wednesday morning.
Local flood likely
In the south, rainfall is still relatively low on Wednesday, but rainfall is expected to increase on Thursday.
According to the FMI on-call Meteorologist Iiris ViljamaaRainfall of up to 70 mm is expected in the regions of Central Ostrobothnia, Central Finland and Northern Savonia, which is likely to cause local flooding in some areas.
"There will certainly be water left on the flat fields and ditches will flood," he said.
At the same time, temperatures in the south may still be relatively mild and as high as 18 degrees on Wednesdays, but elsewhere temperatures will rise above 10 degrees in rainy areas.
But on Thursday, temperatures of 6-10 degrees are expected across the country, including the southern regions.
Such a strong storm is unusual this early fall and usually, according to Viljamaa, only in November or December.
"It’s a very strong storm this time of year," he said.
Significant damage expected
According to the Meteorological Institute, an early autumn storm is likely to cause significant damage, as northerly winds can damage trees in particular.
Recently, northern winds have become increasingly rare, making trees more susceptible to such winds more likely to be felled.
Viljamaa also said that the gusts on the ground are likely to be strong enough to peel off the decorations on the roof tiles and chimneys, and pointed out that protective covers in places like construction sites should be properly fastened.
There have been warnings at sea of โโfour meters of flooding, but Viljamaa said they could be as much as six or seven meters, at least in the Bothnian Sea.
Source: The Nordic Page