The reason for the outage was blamed on high consumption and the weather, which caused ice crystals to block the flow of water to the treatment plant at Lake Ülemiste.

At 2:42 a.m., the water company announced that the problem had been resolved. However, it will take time for the emptied pipelines to be filled and the water supply may be uneven, it added.

Tap water may be more cloudy than usual due to air in the pipes, but it is clean and meets the quality requirements for drinking water.

CEO of Tallinna Vee Aleksandr Timofejev said the problems were caused by Frazil ice.

He said small ice crystals formed in clumps in the water at sub-zero temperatures, which attached to the metal grid of the water channel and blocked the inflow of water.

"On Wednesday, we saw a situation where the thickness of the ice layer on the grid reached up to 25 centimeters, and when we removed it with the help of divers, the ice layer formed again very quickly. Normally, such a situation does not occur so severely in winter, it requires a special combination of air temperature, wind direction and strength," the CEO said.

Timofejev said the last time the company experienced this phenomenon was almost half a century ago.

Deputy mayor: Temporary inconvenience, not crisis

On Wednesday evening, Deputy Mayor of Tallinn Tiit Terik (Center) told ERR that approximately half of Tallinn's residents did not have water in their homes.

The official said the same situation last occurred on December 31, 1987.

The deputy mayor sought to reassure the capital's residents that this was not a "crisis."

"We know people are concerned, and a large number of Tallinn residents have been without water for a couple of hours, but for us, this is not yet what we would consider a crisis – it is a big temporary inconvenience that we hope to overcome soon. Our top priority is to ensure that hospitals and care institutions have water," he added.

He said hospitals and the emergency service have access to water. "If the situation has not been resolved by 5 a.m., Tallinna Vesi will publish the locations where people can collect water themselves," Terik added.

The deputy mayor said this is a situation that people can learn from.

"Even though both the Rescue Board and local governments have been saying this for a long time — prepare for crises — people today may still associate a crisis only with military conflict. But no. Even when weather conditions are slightly unfavorable and ice forms underwater, that too can cause disruptions to essential services. It's important to have emergency supplies at home. If you only start buying water once it's already gone, then it's too late," he said.

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