Possible tornado reported Thursday as severe storms swept Southern Estonia | News

A low pressure system pushed severe thunderstorms northward across the Baltics on Thursday, prompting the Estonian Weather Service (EWS) to issue level 2 storm warnings across Southern Estonia.

Locally filmed video and photos from Võru and the surrounding region showed conditions deteriorating quickly that evening as a shelf cloud moved in from the south, bringing heavy rain, gusty winds, localized hail and flash flooding, Lõuna-Eesti Postimees reported.

Multiple reports indicated possible funnel clouds or a tornado in Võru County, but Estonian meteorologist Kairo Kiitsak said no touchdowns have been confirmed.

“Cloud rotation was clearly visible in some places, but to the best of our knowledge, no funnel cloud ever actually touched down,” Kiitsak wrote on social media Friday.

He added that tornadoes may have briefly touched down farther south in the Baltics on Thursday, where wind damage and hail exceeding 2 centimeters in diameter were reported in several areas.

Recent tornado in Lithuania

In Lithuania, a tornado hit Kazlų Rūda Municipality last Friday, with the village of Antanavas appearing to be the hardest hit, Maaleht reported.

Although the June 5 tornado lasted only a brief time, images and videos of the damage quickly began circulating on social media as residents documented the aftermath, including downed trees and damaged buildings.

While waterspout sightings are more common, tornadoes remain relatively rare in Estonia, with just five tornado-related deaths recorded nationwide between 1922 and 2022 according to the EWS.

In May 2022, a tornado near Rakvere caused local damage in the village of Mädapea. That July, another tornado touched down near the border of Tartu and Põlva counties, with the most severe damage reported in the villages of Paali and Raanitsa.

In July 2023, a tornado near Mooste caused property damage in the village of Jaanimõisa.

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