On the evening of July 28, a storm hit Latvia, with trees falling over most of the country, wires being cut, and streets flooded. Also, tens of thousands of people were left without electricity, and there are problems with telecommunications. This was reported by UNN with reference to Delfi.
Details
As of 9 a.m. on July 29, a record amount of rain fell in central Latvia. No evacuations have been necessary so far: only some sections of roads, streets, parks, as well as the first floors of buildings and basements have been flooded.
About 30,000 consumers are without electricity. Rescuers received about 600 calls.
Traffic on several highways is blocked or restricted. Train and airplane traffic is disrupted.
The Riga City Council recommends that Riga residents stay home on Monday.
According to forecasters, by 05:00, a record amount of precipitation was recorded in Kalnciems - 180 mm, or 203% of the July norm and 26% of the annual norm.
This is a new record for precipitation in Latvia. The last one was recorded on July 9, 1973, in Ventspils, when 160.2 ml of precipitation fell in one day.
Also, on the morning of July 29, a record amount of precipitation fell in Dobel - 106.4 ml, followed by Riga and Mersrags - 86 ml.
The strongest wind gusts were recorded in Jurmala, Dobele (25 m/s), Daugavgriva (26 m/s) and the center of Riga (27 m/s).
According to forecasts, heavy rains in Zemgala and Riga will continue throughout the first half of the day on Monday. It is assumed that Riga may receive two months' worth of rainfall, with a severe storm expected.