Thunderstorms Leave Thousands Without Power on Hiiumaa
More than 7,500 households on Estonia's Hiiumaa island were left without electricity Friday evening due to thunderstorms. Power was restored later that night.
A thunderstorm that swept across Estonia on Friday evening caused a widespread power outage on the island of Hiiumaa. According to distribution network operator Elektrilevi, just over 7,500 households were without electricity as of 9:30 p.m. The island has a population of approximately 9,300.
Elektrilevi spokesperson Britt-Marii Punga said the likely cause was an issue at the Leisi substation on neighboring Saaremaa, possibly a lightning strike during the storms. Fortunately, the problem required only a quick fix, with no reports of downed power lines or other infrastructure damage that would take longer to repair.
A repair crew was dispatched to the substation to check if the busbars were energized. Punga noted that if the busbars were intact, electricity would be restored across Hiiumaa within 30 minutes. Power was indeed restored later that night, and as of the time of reporting, Elektrilevi's outage map showed no power cuts on Hiiumaa or elsewhere in Estonia.
