On July 13th 2024, a multi-vortex tornado hit the town of Žalpiai, Šiauliai at 13:00 UTC from a supercell that produced 2 more tornadoes the same day. It became one of the strongest tornadoes to ever hit Lithuania.
Meteorological synopsis
MeteoLogix radar showed a severe thunderstorm moving northeast towards Šiauliai. When the tornadic thunderstorm approached Šiauliai, a meteorological station recorded a record high daily rainfall of 93.1mm of torrential rainfall.
Tornado summary At 13:50 UTC, the tornado touched down north of Šiauliai, which it uprooted trees, scattered around roof damage, and impacted agricultural buildings. The strongest reported damage was to Meškiškė, Kelmė Region, where it caused significant roof damage and roof loss, large scale forest blowdown, and agricultural buildings damaged and in some cases, completely destroyed. It then started weakening after passing Einoraičiai, where it eventually dissipated just north of Einoraičiai, with 8 more tornadoes forming around Šiauliai, making it the first tornado outbreak in Lithuanian history.
Aftermath After the tornado dissipated, multiple roads were blocked by fallen trees, debris, and power lines, electricity outages affected multiple areas nearby for days. Lithuanian emergency services and local forestry crews began cleaning up roads, and restoring access. Multiple houses were damaged, with some being destroyed entirely, where multiple people became homeless temporarily. Trees impacted by the tornado were debarked, or completely lifted up. Most areas required forestry salvage logging after the tornado. The ESSL eventually gave the tornado an IF2 rating after a day of surveying.
Criticism over rating Some people disagreed with this rating, with one finding evidence of possible IF3 damage, after metal debris was lodged deep inside a brick house, enough to rate the tornado an IF3.
See also List of European tornadoes and tornado outbreaks in the 2020s Šiauliai County Kelmė Region List of European tornadoes in 2024
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