Latvia hit by worst power outages in 20 years as storm cripples grid

A severe storm triggered Latvia's largest power outages in roughly 20 years during the night into Sunday, August 23, 2026. Distribution operator Sadales tīkls reported that nearly 277,000 customers were without electricity at about 7 a.m. The damage reached far beyond local distribution lines and affected major parts of the transmission system.

The storm intensified Saturday evening. Around 108,000 customers had already lost power by 8 p.m., and the number continued to rise overnight. Strong winds, heavy rain and falling trees damaged lines and infrastructure across numerous regions. Eastern and southern parts of the country were among the hardest hit, although outages were also reported around Riga and elsewhere.

Transmission system operator Augstsprieguma tīkls reported extensive technical damage Sunday morning. Operations at 46 of more than 150 substations were disrupted. Five 330-kilovolt overhead transmission lines were damaged, and 44 lines at the 110-kilovolt level were affected. Three of those 110-kV lines had already been restored by morning.

The operator's live incident list recorded many additional faults during the night, including problems at substations in Sigulda, Ieriķi, Madona, Preiļi, Barkava, Viļāni and Ķegums. The number of simultaneous faults illustrates how a major storm can strike several levels of an electricity network at once.

Authorities had warned before the worst weather arrived that wind gusts could reach roughly 25 to 32 meters per second. Under those conditions, trees and large branches can collapse onto overhead lines. Heavy rain also increases the risk of flooding around electrical installations. Grid operators therefore moved to heightened readiness and prepared repair crews in advance.

Officials specifically warned people to stay away from downed power lines, trees hanging on conductors, flooded transformers and switchgear. Residents in threatened private buildings were advised to disconnect their electrical supply before rising water reached the installation, but only if the main panel could be reached safely.

With damage spread across a large area, full restoration can take much longer than after a normal local fault. Some residents were warned that repairs in their area could take more than 24 hours.

Latvia's storm shows how quickly many individual line faults can develop into a broad power emergency. When high-voltage lines, substations and local distribution networks are damaged at the same time, crews cannot simply repair one fault and restore everything. The system must be stabilized and damaged sections returned to service in a controlled sequence.

For households, the lesson is that severe storms can mean much more than a brief flicker. Charged phones and power banks, alternative lighting, drinking water and a plan for refrigeration and electrically dependent home systems become important when an outage lasts many hours.

Sources: LETA via BB.LV, August 23, 2026; Augstsprieguma tīkls (AST), August 22–23, 2026; LSM, August 22, 2026.

https://en.bb.lv/article/our-latvia/2026/08/23/the-storm-caused-the-largest-power-outages-in-the-last-20-years-108005
https://ast.lv/lv/content/pieslegumi-parvades-sistemai
https://www.lsm.lv/raksts/zinas/latvija/22.08.2026-sestdienas-vetra-lietu-nomaina-vejs-aptuveni-160-000-majsaimniecibam-trauceta-elektroapgade.a659923/