One person dies in severe storms in the Baltic States

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When strong storms and heavy rain hit the Baltic states overnight, one person died and around 200,000 households in Lithuania and neighboring Latvia were without electricity.

A 50-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on Monday, authorities said. Fire and rescue services in both countries have received hundreds of emergency calls about fallen trees, damaged cars and flooded roads and fields.

In Lithuania, authorities warned people not to travel unless absolutely necessary, as the storm brought strong winds and catastrophic rainfall to most regions of the country of 2.8 million people.

According to Lithuanian meteorologists, the Šiauliai, Telšiai and Šilalė districts recorded more rainfall on Sunday and Monday than they normally do in a month.

Weather experts said that the strong winds prevailing in Latvia will further increase the water level on the coast of the Gulf of Riga. The Daugava River, which flows through the capital Riga, may overflow its banks.

Officials in Riga said early Monday that the capital’s central Cathedral Square had been temporarily closed because storm damage to part of the roof of the medieval dome posed a danger to the public.

Some flights were cancelled or diverted to other airports in Lithuania because the storm prevented planes from landing in Vilnius or the second largest city, Kaunas.

The southern part of Estonia, the third Baltic state, was also hit by heavy rain and gusts of wind, but was spared major property damage.

The storm is expected to remain in the region until at least Monday afternoon.