Severe winter storm "Hannes" began lashing Finland on the 27th, causing power outages for more than 80,000 households and briefly closing three airports in the Lapland region. On the evening of the 28th, Rovaniemi Airport remained in chaos, with hundreds of passengers queuing outdoors in temperatures of minus 5 degrees Celsius. Forest damage is estimated to reach several million euros.
According to Finland's national broadcaster Yle, as of 8 p.m. on the 28th, there were still 80,055 households without electricity across Finland, affecting 124 municipalities. The outages were mainly concentrated in western Finland, but the northern regions were also impacted.
Airport operator Finavia earlier announced that three Lapland airports—Kittilä, Rovaniemi, and Ivalo—were temporarily closed due to extremely severe weather.
Although Kittilä Airport has resumed operations, Rovaniemi Airport is still in serious disarray, with about 20 flights postponed from the 27th to the 28th. After 6 p.m., hundreds of passengers were still queuing outdoors in -5°C temperatures.
Rovaniemi Airport's passenger volume has continued to grow this year, recently surpassing the milestone of one million annual passengers just under a week before Christmas. It is currently the peak New Year travel season. With the storm causing numerous flight delays, the airport is operating at full capacity.
Baltic Sea Region Struck by Powerful Storm
The Baltic Sea region was hit by a severe storm on the 28th, with near-hurricane gusts reported in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, causing widespread power outages, road blockages, and housing damage.
Rescue authorities in all three countries reported hundreds of incidents involving downed trees and property damage. Fortunately, there were no reports of major casualties.
The powerful storm also caused tens of thousands of households to lose power in all three countries.