Northern Finland braces for record floods
The spring thaw is pushing rivers over their banks in North Ostrobothnia, one of Finland’s northern regions, with record levels expected this weekend.
The situation around the River Kuivajoki in the municipality of Ii worsened more quickly than expected on Friday. Houses near the river in danger of becoming inundated are being protected with plastic.
On Saturday, the Finnish Environment Institute had said that no damaging floods were expected in the area.
The river has risen to near-record levels. This weekend it’s likely to surpass the highest mark recorded, 29.71 metres — a level reached nearly 40 years ago. on Saturday, the level reached 29.69 metres.
A lake connected to the river, Oijärvi, some 65km east of the town of Kemi, is expected to rise by 40-50cm within the next few days, but no buildings are under threat.
Further north, the River Simo is near its peak flow of some 500 cubic metres per second, a volume that may increase by Saturday.
Related Link:
Spring flooding begins in southern and central regions, Yle News
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