Red warning now applies further downstream of the river, and also covers Övertorneå and from Sunday the stretch down to Haparanda.
– There may be new updates and warnings depending on how things develop over the weekend. The situation is still serious, says Hugo Rudebeck, hydrologist on duty at SMHI.
The spring flood is described as the worst in decades and is due to snowmelt combined with heavy rain earlier in the week.
Red warning from Sunday
For the stretch of river downstream of Övertorneå down to Haparanda, an orange warning has been issued for high flows during Saturday. But as of Sunday, a red warning applies for the stretch down to the coast.
– We assess that the risk is high, so it is justified to go out with a red warning, says Hugo Rudebeck.
However, the flows have begun to culminate at Pajala, he continues.
– We expect it to also culminate downstream within the next few days.