During the day on 22 August, an active and deepening cyclone will approach from the south and cross Estonia’s southern border by late evening. The cyclone will bring heavy rain to Estonia, thunderstorms in some places, and very strong winds along its immediate edge. In the centre of the cyclone, the wind will be weak and variable in direction. Due to the large forecast precipitation amounts and strong wind, an orange, or level 2, warning has been issued.
On Saturday afternoon, heavy rain will gradually spread from Southern Estonia northwards across the country, with thunderstorms also occurring. In addition, north-easterly and easterly winds will strengthen in gusts to 17–19 m/s. On the islands and the west coast, north-westerly and northerly winds will gust to 21 m/s, and in the Gulf of Riga area to 26 m/s.
On the night of Sunday, 23 August, the active cyclone will move across Eastern Estonia towards the north-east and reach the vicinity of St Petersburg by morning. Heavy rain will continue in many places and the risk of thunderstorms will remain. South-westerly winds will blow in Southern Estonia, northerly and north-easterly winds in Northern Estonia, and north-westerly winds in Western Estonia, with gusts up to 22 m/s, in coastal areas up to 28 m/s, and around the Gulf of Riga up to 30 m/s. Within 24 hours, 50–70 mm of rain may fall, and locally up to 90 mm.
Extreme weather conditions and strong wind gusts may break trees, cause power outages, and create dangerous situations in traffic and at sea. To reduce the inconvenience caused by the storm as much as possible, the Rescue Board advises residents to prepare.
Before the storm:
• Collect loose items from outdoors that may be blown away by the wind, such as garden chairs, flower pots, and similar items.
• Close windows and doors.
• Park your car in a garage. If this is not possible, park it in an open area, away from trees.
• Prepare for possible power outages. Fully charge mobile phones and power banks.
• Stock up on drinking water, food, medicines and vehicle fuel.
• If necessary, prepare a torch, a battery-powered radio and spare batteries.
• Also think about the safety of pets.
• If you live in an area at risk of flooding, follow the weather forecast and prepare accordingly.
• If there is a risk of thunderstorms, unplug household appliances.
• Explain the dangers of storms to younger family members, including that the danger is not thunder itself but lightning.
During the storm:
• Stay indoors and close the doors and windows of buildings. When leaving a building, use a door that is on the downwind side.
• Avoid driving in heavy rain. If driving is necessary, drive slowly and carefully and pay attention to weather conditions.
• Stay away from fallen power lines and report them to Elektrilevi’s fault line at 1343.
• During a thunderstorm, do not light a fire in a stove or fireplace, as smoke is a good conductor of electricity and may attract lightning.
• Follow warnings and, where possible, avoid being in open areas, on bodies of water or near trees during thunderstorms.
• If you need urgent assistance, call 112.
Information channels
• Storm safety instructions are available on the olevalmis.ee website: https://www.olevalmis.ee/torm-tugev-tuul-aike-ja-sademed
• More information about weather conditions and warnings is available on the Environment Agency map: https://www.ilmateenistus.ee/ilm/prognoosid/hoiatused or in the Ilm+ app.
• For safer travel, information is available on the Estonian Transport Administration’s traffic information portal: https://tarktee.ee
• Elektrilevi outage map: https://elektrilevi.ee/et/katkestused/katkestuste-kaart
Translation from Estonian: ChatGPT
