Heavy snowfall lashes Sweden and Finland
A person rides a bicycle on a snow-covered street amid heavy snowfall in Helsinki, Finland on Tuesday.
Thousands of households across northern Sweden and southern Finland were without power on Wednesday after heavy snowfall, and forecasters warned that particularly icy temperatures lay ahead for the Baltic Sea region.
In southwestern Finland, around 4,000 households were without power, according to Finnish broadcaster YLE, with authorities saying that number could rise.
In Sweden, electricity provider Eon said about 3,000 homes were affected and power outages may go on longer than usual because it may be too risky to send out maintenance workers.
The Swedish weather service said the snowfall, which had affected the northern part of Sweden over the past 24 hours, was still taking place. The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute reported snow accumulation of up to 60 centimeters in the north.
In Finland, snow blanketed the south, and warnings for poor road conditions have been issued for almost all the south and west.
YLE said the snowfall was expected to decrease and replaced by severe cold, with temperatures dropping to minus 25 degrees Celsius in the south and minus 40 degrees Celsius in the north.
