RIGA, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- A powerful cyclone that swept across Latvia during the weekend brought strong winds, causing widespread damage and power outages, authorities said on Sunday.
Gale-force winds battered coastal areas and central parts of the Baltic country, toppling trees, damaging infrastructure and disrupting electricity supply. Repair work on wind-related power outages was still ongoing.
On Sunday morning, residents shared photos on social media showing fallen Christmas trees, toppled road signs and broken trees.
By 4:00 p.m. Sunday, the State Fire and Rescue Service had received 335 calls for assistance related to storm damage. The service's spokeswoman, Victoria Gribste, told local media that most calls concerned trees felled by strong winds, while in some locations roof structures and coverings were damaged.
Latvia's electricity distribution network operator Sadales Tikls said that by 4:00 p.m. Sunday, power supply had been disrupted for about 1,200 distribution network customers. Earlier in the day, outages had affected around 7,000 households, mainly in coastal regions and central Latvia. The most severe power disruptions on Sunday afternoon were reported in Marupes, Sigulda and Gulbenes counties.
The Latvian Centre for Environment, Geology and Meteorology issued an orange warning for strong winds on Saturday, effective from 11:00 a.m. Saturday to 4:00 p.m. Sunday. According to the center, the strongest wind gusts overnight were recorded in coastal areas, reaching 28.4 meters per second at the port of Liepaja.
