Heavy rain floods parts of southern Helsinki

Intense local rainfall in southern Helsinki has caused street flooding and water damage to multiple commercial properties, according to a report by Yle.

By mid-afternoon, the Helsinki City Rescue Department had responded to over ten damage control calls within 40 minutes, said fire chief Petri Strandberg. The downpours primarily affected the city center, Punavuori, and Jätkäsaari districts.

Water entered several buildings through drainage systems or air conditioning ducts, including a Lidl supermarket in Jätkäsaari, basements along Bulevardi, a restaurant, and a retail space on Iso Roobertinkatu. Strandberg noted that such incidents are not unusual during heavy rain, as stormwater wells have limited capacity.

Similar flooding occurred on Saturday, with water entering Viiki Library and the Malmi Prisma shopping center.