Thousands Remain Without Power as Storm Johannes Causes Widespread Outages in Northern and Central Sweden

Storm Johannes has left a significant impact on northern and central Sweden with extensive power outages that continue to affect thousands of households. Over the weekend, fierce winds led to widespread damage, leaving more than 40,000 electricity subscribers without power in the hardest-hit areas. As of early Monday morning, around 7 a.m., more than 15,000 households remained without electricity, highlighting the ongoing challenges in restoration efforts.

Gävleborg County has been the worst affected, with over 9,000 customers still without power. Västernorrland follows closely behind, with more than 4,000 households affected. Electricity providers, including Ellevio, Eon, and Vattenfall, have been actively working to restore power but report that the process is slowed down by the "extreme amounts" of fallen trees blocking access and complicating repairs.

Eon, which reported the most outages in Västernorrland, warned that some customers might be without electricity until Monday or potentially even longer. Lena Berglund, Eon's regional manager for Norrland, acknowledged the difficulty in estimating how long full restoration would take, given the extent of the storm damage.

In addition to the substantial material damage and disruption, the storm has tragically resulted in three fatalities. The cleanup and power restoration continue amid ongoing efforts to manage the effects of the storm.

Authorities and energy companies urge residents in impacted areas to remain prepared for possible extended outages and report damaged infrastructure promptly to support restoration activities.