High winds pulled down trees and billboards in St. Petersburg Wednesday, contributing to a water rise in the Neva River that flooded basements and ground floors in some buildings along downtown embankments.
"Ten people were injured by falling debris and trees during yesterday's storm," a spokesperson for the city emergency situations department said, adding that one of the victims was in serious condition.
The water level has since receded and a storm warning cancelled.
St. Petersburg, located on the Gulf of Finland, also recorded Wednesday the highest temperature in its 304-year history, which reached 8.6 Celsius.
"The temperature was about six degrees higher than the norm throughout the first 10 days of January," said Alexander Kolesov, a meteorological official.
