Powerful storm hits Baltic countries, killing 2 and leaving hundreds of thousands without power

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Two people died and around half a million people were left without electricity across Latvia and Lithuania after a powerful cyclone, bringing rain and strong winds, hit the region on Saturday and into Sunday morning.

“This seems to be the most severe storm in Latvia since 2005 in terms of its overall impact,” Andris Viksna, from the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Center, told the AP.

One person died in Jelgava, central Latvia, when part of a building collapsed on Saturday, and others were injured across the country. Wind speed exceeded 67 mph on Saturday in the capital, Riga. At many stations, half of the average monthly rainfall was recorded on Saturday.

More than a quarter-million people were left without electricity and mobile services were disrupted.

Rail and other public transport services were affected by trees and other objects falling on infrastructure. The Riga airport said on Sunday morning that flights could be delayed or rerouted because of the severe storm overnight.

One person also died in neighboring Lithuania after being hit by a falling tree. Others were injured and over 200,000 residents were without electricity on Sunday morning.

Strong winds also battered Estonia, with the western and northern parts and its islands most affected. Ferry services to islands were disrupted and trains arriving from Latvia and Lithuania delayed.

Northeastern Poland was affected by the storm, too, with over 100,000 people losing power.

The contribution of climate change cannot be properly assessed yet, said Viksna from the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Center, but “it is plausible that human-caused climate change may have intensified the rainfall associated with the cyclone.”

The situation was expected to improve on Sunday and certainly by Monday.

People walk at the beach along the Tallinn bay of the Baltic sea on a rainy and windy day in Tallinn, Estonia, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

A kitesurfer makes use of strong winds on the Tallinn bay of the Baltic sea on a rainy and windy day in Tallinn, Estonia, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

A jogger runs at the beach along the Tallinn bay of the Baltic sea on a rainy and windy day in Tallinn, Estonia, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

BERLIN (AP) — Bayern Munich forward Harry Kane has been voted Germany’s player of the year 2026 and Vincent Kompany won the coach’s accolade after another outstanding season for the Bavarian powerhouse.

Kane scored 61 goals across all competitions, including the German Supercup for Bayern last season, helping the team defend its Bundesliga title and win the German Cup. He scored a hat trick in the cup final.

Kane also helped Bayern win the new season's German Supercup with a 2-1 win at Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, though he didn't score in that game.

The England forward gathered more votes (272) than teammate Michael Olise (203) in the yearly poll of 659 members of the Association of German Sports Journalists (VDS) organized by Kicker magazine.

Kicker said Sunday that Deniz Undav received 61 votes followed by Bayern’s Joshua Kimmich (21) and Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann (14). There were three invalid votes.

Kompany received nearly half the votes for the coach’s award, more than Freiburg’s Julian Schuster, who won it last year.

Florian Wirtz won the player’s award last year.

The player of the year accolade has been awarded since 1960, with the coaches honored since 2002. Franz Beckenbauer leads the player category with four wins, while Jürgen Klopp and Felix Magath both won the coach’s award three times.

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

Bayern's Harry Kane lifts the trophy after winning the Franz Beckenbauer German Supercup soccer match against Borussia Dortmund in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Bayern's Harry Kane kicks the ball during the Franz Beckenbauer German Supercup soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)