Historically high flows in the Luleälven

The recent rain has led to historically high flows in the Luleälven, and SMHI has therefore issued an orange warning.

An orange warning is the second highest on the three-level warning scale, and implies the risk of serious consequences for society, danger to the public and serious damage to property and the environment.

The orange warnings apply to the upper part of the Lilla Luleälven and the Lower Luleälven. Yellow warning is issued for the lower part of Lilla Luleälven, between Jokkmokk and Vuollerim.

– It has rained a lot recently, which means that the lakes are full. Waterfalls, which regulate the river, must therefore lose a lot of water. This means that there is a lot of water flowing in Lilla Luleälven and Stora Luleälven, says Bettina Matti, on-call hydrologist at SMHI.

Along the stretches of orange warning, the flows are of a magnitude that occurs every 25 to every 50 years, she continues.

– We are used to high flows in the spring and early summer, but now there has been so much rain that it is overcrowded.

With the warnings, SMHI wants to point out the risk of flooding and urge caution.

– Everyone who stays along or on the river should think about whether they are really going out on a fishing trip, for example. There are very high current speeds in the river, says Bettina Matti.

In the near future, however, the area looks set to cope with larger amounts of precipitation.