RIGA, July 11 (Xinhua) -- A severe storm wreaked havoc mainly in central parts of Latvia on Thursday afternoon, breaking many trees, damaging property and causing large traffic congestions, according to emergency services.
There were no reports of any injuries so far. The Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Center has issued the highest-level Red Weather Warning for Latvia's central regions. In western Latvia, the Red Weather Warning was downgraded to Orange as the storm moved northeast.
The State Fire and Rescue Service reported that most of the calls on Thursday were received about trees broken by strong winds, obstructing traffic or posing danger to residents. In Vecumnieki parish, a tree fell on a car, while in Musa, the roof of a residential building was partly ripped off by the wind.
In Bauska, the storm, which blew in from the southwest and raged for about seven minutes, caused a major power outage and ripped off the roofing of a stadium, while authorities reported wind gusts of 31 meters per second in the area. About 8,800 customers of electricity provider Sadales Tikls were disrupted.
Broken tree branches and debris blocked the Via Baltica motorway near Bauska, resulting in a major traffic jam in the area, said Latvijas Valsts Celi, the company managing Latvia's national roads. ■
