Thunderstorms unleash 2,000 lightning strikes across Finland, sparking fires and power outages

Today, Finland has experienced intermittent showers accompanied by thunderstorms, some of which have been quite severe. These weather conditions have been widespread across the country, excluding the northern and central parts of Lapland and coastal areas. Within a few hours, approximately 2,000 lightning strikes were recorded. The total number of lightning strikes throughout the day is expected to reach around 5,000.

The emergency services have been kept busy due to these lightning strikes and heavy rain. For instance, a machinery hall caught fire in Karstula, Central Finland. However, no major accidents were reported by 2 pm. In Central Finland, the emergency services also received an alert about a medium-scale building fire in the afternoon on Kaijanjärventie in Uurainen. Upon arriving at the scene, the emergency services reported that there was no actual fire in the residential house.

According to the emergency services, the house’s electrical center received an overvoltage caused by a lightning strike, which was transmitted along the electrical wire. This resulted in charring and a smoky smell in the attic structures within the house. The emergency services checked the building while the power company assessed the functionality of the building’s electrical center. Fortunately, there were no personal injuries.

Today, lightning strikes also caused power outages in different parts of the country.