Strong winds leave 2,900 customers without power in Lithuania

VILNIUS - Strong winds left about 2,900 customers without electricity in the Klaipeda and Kaunas districts before noon on Friday, electricity distribution operator ESO said.

Fire and rescue services have received the majority of call-outs in Klaipeda county, alongside reports in the Kaunas, Panevezys and Siauliai regions, according to the Fire and Rescue Department.

"We see that weather forecasts are changing. Between noon and 2 p.m., the wind should peak, but it already showed its strength in the morning," ESO representative Rasa Juodkiene told public broadcaster LRT on Friday.

Most outages were reported in the Kaunas region, but as the wind strengthened, more reports were coming from the coast, where ESO and contractor crews were already heading to repair faults, the company said in a statement.

According to the company, power supply to customers is being restored in an average of less than two hours.

Jolita Orentaite, head of the communications division at the Fire and Rescue Department, said winds were toppling trees along the coast, with one tree falling on three cars in Klaipeda.

"Most of the reports were received from Neringa and the city of Klaipeda," Orentaite added.

Orentaite said the first report of wind-related damage was received at around 8 a.m. on Friday, and by 10 a.m. about a dozen reports had been received, all from the coast. The strongest winds were expected around noon, she said.

According to ESO, the strongest wind gusts were forecast between noon and 2 p.m., particularly along the coast, where they could reach storm force in some areas. Reinforced crews across Lithuania were ready to respond to further reports, with about 200 ESO and contractor teams mobilised, compared with 60 on a normal day.

Additional crews were also being assembled for the weekend, and staffing at dispatch centres had been increased.