Violent winds from Storm Johannes have left a trail of destruction across Scandinavia, claiming at least three lives and plunging tens of thousands of homes into darkness.
Fatalities and Widespread Damage
The fierce storm, which tore down trees and severed power lines, moved south through Sweden on Saturday, 28th December 2025. The human cost was severe. In the central Swedish town of Sandviken, a man died after being struck by a falling tree branch. Further north, a utility worker for the regional company Hemab lost their life in a field accident related to the storm conditions.
Police confirmed a third fatality, a man in his 60s, who was hit by a tree while working in a forest near Hofors in east-central Sweden. He later succumbed to his injuries in hospital. Another individual in Jarvso required hospital treatment after becoming trapped under a collapsed sheet metal roof.
Transport Chaos and Mass Power Outages
The storm's impact crippled infrastructure across the region. In Sweden, more than 40,000 households were left without electricity and rail services were cancelled. The situation was even more severe in Finland, where over 100,000 homes remained without power on Sunday.
Air travel was also disrupted dramatically. At Kittila airport in northern Finland, high winds pushed a Swiss Air jet carrying approximately 150 passengers off the runway into a snowbank. The aircraft, which had just landed from Geneva, was taxiing when it veered off course. A smaller 400XT model plane on the ground was similarly blown off the runway.
Emergency Services Stretched
Rescue departments across western and central Finland were inundated, responding to thousands of calls about fallen trees, damaged roofs, and blocked roads. The scale of the emergency was starkly illustrated in the Pirkanmaa region, where crews dealt with nearly 600 storm-related incidents overnight. The combined efforts highlight the extensive clean-up operation now facing authorities as the storm begins to subside.
