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3 clusters · 22 sources · 18 days · First seen · Last updated

Lithuania and Latvia storm damage and power outages escalate

Overview

Following the initial windstorm in early August 2026, Lithuania experienced a significant escalation in severe weather. While early damage was concentrated in the Vilnius district and southern forests, new extreme weather events have caused widespread national disruption. By late August, hurricane-force wind gusts of up to 33 meters per second were recorded in Ventas Ragas and Nida.

On Saturday, August 22, a severe storm triggered record-breaking call volumes for emergency services. The Emergency Response Centre (BPC) reported receiving 11,460 calls between 7:00 and 18:30, which is more than double its typical 24-hour volume. The Lithuanian Fire and Rescue Service (PAGD) noted that wind-related emergency calls in this single day exceeded the total recorded from the beginning of the year through mid-August, suggesting the impact may be the largest seen in two decades.

The scale of utility disruption has grown substantially. In Lithuania, approximately 256,000 residents faced electricity supply issues, with significant outages in the Kaunas, Utena, Klaipėda, Alytus, and Vilnius regions. Technical difficulties at the energy distributor ESO led many citizens to use the 112 emergency line to report outages.

Casualties have been confirmed in both nations. In Lithuania’s Anykščiai district, a man was killed by a falling tree. In Latvia, the storm triggered the country’s largest power outage in 20 years, leaving approximately 277,000 customers of AS Sadales tīkls without electricity. The damage in Latvia included the impact on 46 of more than 150 high-voltage substations and multiple transmission lines. Additionally, at least one death was reported in Jelgava due to a building structure collapse.

Entities

Lithuania · Lazdijai district · Vytautas Vansavičius · Miroslav Bogdiun · Priešgaisrinės apsaugos ir gelbėjimo departamentas

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

Coverage disagrees

Sources make claims that cannot both be true. CLSTR reports the disagreement; it does not decide who is right.

  • "The Fire and Rescue Department received over 1,200 calls related to storm damage in a single day." laikmetis.lt · aina.lt

    vs

    "Firefighters received approximately 500 calls related to storm damage." marijampoleplius.lt · kauno.diena.lt

    The claims provide conflicting numbers for the amount of calls received by the Fire and Rescue Department regarding storm damage (approximately 500 versus over 1,200).

  • "Approximately 256,000 customers experienced electricity supply disruptions." laikmetis.lt

    vs

    "Up to 240,000 residents are experiencing electricity supply disruptions." kauno.diena.lt · www.15min.lt · www.vz.lt

    The claims provide different figures for the number of residents/customers experiencing electricity supply disruptions (up to 240,000 versus approximately 256,000).

Timeline

  1. 2 days ago

    [INTERNATIONAL] 19 sources
    Storms cause widespread damage and power outages in Lithuania and Latvia

    Severe storms in Lithuania and Latvia have caused widespread damage, including massive power outages affecting hundreds of thousands and at least two reported fatalities.

  2. 16 days ago

    [INTERNATIONAL] 5 sources
    Storm damages southern Lithuanian forests, rescues campers

    A storm in southern Lithuania toppled ~8,000 m³ of forest, trapped campers at Veisiejų lake and caused power outages, with State Forest Service crews rescuing people and clearing trees.

  3. 20 days ago

    [POLITICS] 2 sources
    Vilnius district declares emergency after severe storm damages neighborhoods

    Vilnius district mayor declared an emergency after a storm with 28 m/s winds damaged homes, roads and utilities in Avižienių, Riešės and Zujūnai; cleanup and aid efforts are under way.

Sources

15min.lt · aina.lt · alytusplius.lt · apollo.lv · dimsumdaily.hk · eestinen.fi · financenet.lv · fm99.lt · jauns.lv · kauno.diena.lt · laikmetis.lt · lounaeestlane.ee · mammamuntetiem.lv · marijampoleplius.lt · nra.lv · ogrenet.lv · respublika.lt · silutesnaujienos.lt · tvnet.lv · valmieraszinas.lv · ve.lt · vz.lt

This summary has been updated 9 times: see revision history