Stay inside as dangerous stormy weather hits northern Europe, authorities say. 2 people have died

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norwegian authorities warned Tuesday to prepare for “extremely heavy rain” after Storm Hans killed two people, ripped off roofs and disrupted summer life in northern Europe.

Strong winds continued to batter the region along with the rains, causing a long list of disruptions in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Lithuania, Finland, Estonia and Latvia. Ferries were cancelled, flights were delayed, highways and streets flooded, trees were uprooted, people were injured by falling branches and thousands remained without power Tuesday.

In Oslo, officials urged people to work from home. On its website, Norway’s Directorate of Water Resources and Energy warned of “extremely heavy rain” in the south of the country, adding that “unnecessary traffic should be avoided.”

“This is a very serious situation that can bring great consequences and damage. There will be extensive flooding, erosion damage, and flood damage to buildings and infrastructure,” he said in English on his website.

In Finland, authorities urged people to rethink whether “it is necessary to go out” into the sea, the newspaper Hufvudstadsbladet Ville Hukka, a spokesman for the Gulf of Finland Coast Guard District, quoted as saying.

SMHI, the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, issued a red warning for parts of central Sweden on Tuesday, noting “large amounts of rain causing extremely high flows in streams and ditches in several locations.”

Floods and landslides have closed dozens of roads in southern Norway and neighboring Sweden and dozens of people have been evacuated. Norwegian police said at least 119 people had been evacuated by midday Tuesday. There were scattered reports of the use of helicopters to get people out of the affected areas.

Meanwhile, the Danish Meteorological Institute reported waves of up to 8 meters (26 feet) and beach houses were seen washed out into the North Sea.

On Monday, a 50-year-old woman was killed in Lithuania when trees fell near the Latvian border. In central Sweden, a train partially derailed because the embankment below the rails had been washed away. Three people were slightly injured.

Also on Monday in Latvia, near the border with Belarus, a second person died on Monday when a tree fell on him, Latvian television said, adding that he died of his injuries. The man was not further identified.

In Estonia, nearly 10,000 people lost power on Tuesday morning, according to the Baltic News Service, the region’s main news agency.

Norwegian authorities kept the extreme weather warning alert at its highest level in southern Norway due to heavy rain, landslides and flash floods. They also sent text messages in various foreign languages, including English, to tourists warning of bad weather.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre called it “a very serious situation,” he said Monday night. “We see flooding and destruction. There are reasons to hope that this will last another day,” he said.

Meteorologists in Norway said rain can be expected in the south of the country until Wednesday.

“Plan for the fact that roads may be closed and electricity, telephone and internet may be lost in parts of the county for periods,” Norwegian police said in a statement.

In the Swedish town of Are, a ski resort, roads and streets were flooded. The Susaback River that runs through Are, some 533 kilometers (331 miles) from Stockholm, burst its banks, inundating much of the city center.