Heavy rain floods Turku as 26 mm falls in 30 minutes

Torrental downpours lashed parts of southern Finland on Sunday afternoon, with Turku recording over 26 millimetres of rain in just half an hour, public broadcaster Yle reports.

In Turku, the Southwest Finland Emergency Services responded to about 15 calls as water flooded basements and storm drains failed to cope. The Wiklund department store in the city centre was closed after a downpipe joint gave way, sending water cascading into the Sokos and basement-level retail spaces. Crews assisted with emergency water management on site.

In Raisio, firefighters pumped water from a flooded residential basement and cleared a clogged storm drain to prevent further inflow.

Meanwhile, lightning strikes hit two houses in Kanta-Häme: a detached home in Ypäjä was destroyed by fire, while a property in Tammela suffered minor damage.

Meteorologists had warned of intense thunderstorms and localised flooding, with rainfall rates potentially reaching 20 mm per hour, particularly in urban areas. The Finnish Meteorological Institute issued rain and flood warnings for southern regions.