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'Varpu' storm fells trees and cuts power in south, brings 'first snow' to Lapland

Wind speeds of up to 35 metres per second were recorded in the south and east of Finland on Wednesday morning.

Photo shows a tree which fell onto a street in the Töölö area of Helsinki on Wednesday morning.
A tree fell onto a street in the Töölö area of Helsinki on Wednesday morning. Image: Jussi Putkonen / Yle
Yle News

An autumnal storm, named Varpu, brought strong winds and heavy rains to many parts of Finland on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

The Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) noted that wind gusts have exceeded 35 metres per second (m/s) in some southern and eastern areas on Wednesday morning.

Sadeviittaan pukeutunut pyöräilijä, taustalla kaatunut puu.
The storm has brought many trees down in the Helsinki area and across the south and east of the country. Image: Tiina Jutila / Yle

By 11am, almost 44,000 households were cut off from electricity due to the storm, mostly in Eastern Finland. Emergency services across the south and east of the country received multiple reports about fallen trees, with some that took down power lines.

In the capital region, emergency services recieved about 40 calls related to the storm by 11am on Wednesday morning.

Koiranulkoiluttaja meren rannalla myrskysäässä.
The scene in Marjaniemi, Helsinki on Wednesday morning. Image: Tiina Jutila / Yle

Lapland sees first snow

Meanwhile, in the north, the 'first snow' of the season was confirmed in Lapland.

The first snowfall, a major event in the Finnish meteorological calendar, is official when at least one centimetre is observed at 9am in the morning.

Photo shows the covering of snow in Finnish Lapland, 20 September 2023.
Over 23 centimetres of snow was observed at a weather station in Kittilä, Finnish Lapland, by 9am on Wednesday morning. Image: Kati Rantala / Yle

Yle meteorologist Nina Karusto noted however that more than 20 centimeters of snow had fallen in some parts of Finnish Lapland by Wednesday morning, an usually high amount.

This article may be updated.

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