More than 100,000 households across Finland remained without electricity on Sunday after storm Hannes caused widespread damage to power networks, transport infrastructure and buildings. Energy companies warned that full restoration would extend well into next week.
The storm swept across the country on Saturday, bringing violent wind gusts, heavy snowfall and freezing rain. At its peak, electricity supply was cut to more than 180,000 households in over 200 municipalities, according to data from the Energy Industry outage map.
By Sunday morning, conditions had eased, but damage on the ground slowed repair work.
Hannes placed heavy strain on emergency services. Rescue departments across western and central Finland responded to thousands of call-outs related to fallen trees, damaged roofs and blocked roads. In Pirkanmaa alone, emergency crews handled almost 600 storm-related tasks overnight. Across Satakunta, Central Finland, Ostrobothnia and coastal regions, the total number of missions exceeded 1,500.
In several cases, trees fell onto houses, though authorities confirmed that no serious injuries were reported. In Helsinki, fire crews dealt with around ten incidents, mainly involving fallen trees.
The storm also disrupted rail traffic. Fintraffic’s rail traffic control centre reported extensive damage between Kokkola and Ylivieska, leading to delays and cancellations that affected Sunday morning services. Train traffic between Jämsä and Pieksämäki was suspended due to storm damage at Saakoski and Lievestuore, with buses replacing trains. Several long-distance night trains from Helsinki to Rovaniemi were delayed by around three hours.
Air travel in Lapland was hit hard on Saturday as strong crosswinds forced the suspension of operations at Kittilä, Ivalo and Rovaniemi airports. Two aircraft slid into snowbanks at Kittilä Airport due to wind during taxiing. No injuries were reported. Flight operations gradually resumed later in the evening, but delays continued into Sunday.
Passengers faced chaotic conditions at northern airports. In Rovaniemi, cancelled and delayed flights left large numbers of travellers stranded. Hotels in the city reported that phones rang continuously as tourists searched for accommodation in a region already close to full capacity during the winter season.
The storm caused its most severe impact on electricity distribution networks. Power grid operator Elenia described the situation as its worst major disruption in a decade.
Repair work was limited overnight due to safety concerns, as fallen trees and unstable structures made forest work hazardous. Crews focused on isolating fault areas and restoring electricity to unaffected sections of the grid. This approach restored power to about 30,000 customers during the night and early morning.
The Finnish Meteorological Institute said storm conditions would fully subside by mid-morning on Sunday.
HT
