Finland and Sweden Brace for Powerful Storm

Winds are expected to pick up considerably Friday, and will be exceptionally strong Friday night and Saturday. Speeds at sea have already reached more than 20 metres per second.

Winds and precipitation will be strongest in the regions of Pirkanmaa, Ostrobothnia, Kanta-Häme, Uudenmaa, South-west Finland and Satakunta. Meteorologists say eastern Finland will be spared from the worst of the storm.

Rain from the south-west is expected to turn to snow in northern areas. Drivers should be aware of slippery roads. Road conditions are expected to be particularly poor in the Oulu province, southern Lapland and western regions.

The storm is expected to peak on Saturday night. Winds should begin to die down on Saturday. Precipitation will continue, but will lighten up throughout the country.

Boats to Stay in Port Tallink says its lighter Autoexpress boats will not be running Friday or Saturday. Passengers are being offered compensatory berths on slower passenger ships, which can better withstand high winds. Linda Lines will also stay in port on Friday and Saturday. Nordic Jetlines has cancelled its routes. However, Silja Superseacat will continue to run for the time being. Silja Line is altering its route from Turku to Sweden to take winds into account. Travel from the Helsinki-Vantaa airport is not expected to be affected by the storm. Trains are also expected to run on schedule. Energy company Vattenfall says all of its employees are on call to fix severed power lines as quickly as possible. YLE24