On Tuesday morning, heavy snow and blizzards are occurring in various areas of Kurzeme, with a snowstorm raging at sea, lightning and thunder observed in places, and the most difficult situation is developing in southern Kurzeme and Liepāja, meteorological information indicates.
The strongest wind gusts at night were recorded at the Ventspils port — 29.1 meters per second, and in the morning hours, the strongest winds are expected on the southern coast of Kurzeme. A moderate northwesterly wind blows across most of Latvia.
Due to the blizzard, it is difficult to determine the average thickness of the snow cover. According to the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre (LEGMC), most of the country is covered by 1 to 6 centimeters of snow.
The sky over Latvia is partly cloudy, with brief snow showers occurring in many places. Heavy snowfall is observed not only in Kurzeme but also in parts of the central region — around Riga and south of the capital.
The air temperature ranges from 0 to -4 degrees, and in the eastern part of the country, it is from -4 to -7 degrees.
In Riga, snow and blizzards occur intermittently, with a north to northwest wind gusting up to 15 m/s, and in Daugavgriva — up to 20 m/s. Over the past 24 hours, gusts have reached 22 m/s. The air temperature is minus 2 degrees.
Heavy snowfall is expected in places on the last working day of the year
On Tuesday, December 30, snow will fall intermittently across most of Latvia, with heavy snowfall and blizzards expected in parts of Kurzeme and Zemgale, forecasters warn.
In the morning, especially strong blizzards are expected in the southwest of Kurzeme, with a snowstorm continuing at sea and possible thunderstorms, while the wind will weaken during the day.
An orange warning from the LEGMC for a storm on the western coast of Kurzeme is in effect until 11:00, and a yellow warning for heavy snowfall is in effect in the western part of the country until the evening.
The sun will peek through the clouds in many places. The wind will mainly be moderate, coming from the north, and in the second half of the day, gusts stronger than 20 meters per second are not forecasted even on the coast.
The maximum air temperature will range from 0 to -5 degrees.
In Riga, the day may pass without significant precipitation, with gusts of the north wind up to 18 m/s persisting in the northern part of the city, and the air temperature will not rise above zero.
The weather conditions are influenced by the western part of the cyclone. Atmospheric pressure at sea level fluctuates from 992 hPa on the border with Russia to 1001 hPa on the western coast of Kurzeme.
The maximum air temperature on Monday, according to the observation network of the LEGMC, ranged from 0 degrees in Alūksne to +5.6 degrees in Pāvilosta.
The highest air temperature in Europe on December 29 was +18..+20 degrees in Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Greece. The lowest air temperature on the night of Tuesday was around -20 degrees in Scandinavia and northern Russia.
