Hydrologist warns of flooding: Cathedral squares may not be flooded in Vilnius, but coasts will sink

The Great Flood 90 years ago

90 years ago, Neris was flooded in such a way that we still look at the photos from that time with surprise, not only huts drowned in the water near the river, but also boats sailing near the main archicara of the Vilnius shrine.

“Neris and Vilnelė spilled from the shores and flooded Bernardine and went. Pushkin Gardens in the Cathedral and the entire Cathedral Square. At the door of the Cathedral, the water has risen approximately half a meter. Transportation is by boat. As a result, the bus service on Jurgio Avenue – Antakalnis was canceled. The Vilnius-Lyda and Vilnius-Daugavpils railways were flooded. The water keeps rising “, – 1931. April 25 wrote” Lietuvos žinios “.

The highest water level was recorded in 1931. April 26 It reached 825 cm. The level of the Neris was 8 m 25 cm higher than usual.

After this flood, which flooded the entire Cathedral Square and its dungeons, the remains of the rulers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL) and the heart of Vladislav Vaza were found.

You can find more information about the great Vilnius flood in the following multimedia: In Vilnius as in Venice: see what Vilnius was like during the great flood of 1931.

Large floods were also recorded in Vilnius in 1951 and 1958.

It will depend on the heat

Juozas Šimkus, a hydrologist with the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service, has no doubt that floods can be expected this year and most likely will.

“Ice congestion is hard to predict, basically unpredictable. It all depends a lot on how that heat will come in. But the chances are high enough that there is that ice cream mess. There is ice in the nery, it probably is.

The flooded embankment is nothing terrible. As for Vilnius, probably nothing will be very serious: there is not enough snow to repeat the flood of 1931. It will not be, but there will be a glacier that can unhook the elements from the dock or similar, it is probable, “said the hydrologist.

In Vilnius, the Neris is located between the high banks, so there is most likely no danger to the surrounding streets. However, where the coasts are flatter, as J.Šimkus says, the river should spill over and the water will flood those areas that are not usually flooded.

The flooded embankment is nothing terrible. As for Vilnius, probably nothing will be very serious: there is not enough snow to repeat the flood of 1931.

The amount of snow is not huge, but there will be water.

There is a lot of snow this year, but J.Šimkus assures that the amounts are not as large as we might sometimes imagine, because after the snowless winters we had already completely forgotten about the snow.

So there may not be much water from that snow, although there is not little water in the snowpack.

“There is such a measurable parameter: the water reserves in the snow cover. We measure how much water is in that snow. According to this indicator, there is enough water in the snow in southern and southeastern Lithuania, more than the usual multi-year norm. , more than one and a half times .. The whole of Lithuania is close to the norm.

The snow is fluffy because it is cold now, but there is enough water accumulated in the snow cover. Not in some fantastic or record-setting way, but quite a lot, “said the hydrologist, agreeing that if the polaidis is sudden, the water will not be able to be absorbed by the ground immediately.

It is customary to call Rusne the capital of Lithuanian floods, so this year will not be exceptional for the Rusniškės either.

J.Šimkus is convinced that the country’s roads, fields and meadows will really be flooded there, perhaps only because of communication problems, because the overpass will be built.

Prairies of Sems and Rusnė

“It is too early to predict, but according to the current situation, both the fields and the roads of the country will definitely be busy. The Šilutė-Rusnė road now has a flyover, it will definitely not be flooded. But if you want to see the flooded meadows , it will definitely be possible to go to the coast, ”said J. Šimkus.

As for the smaller Lithuanian rivers, the hydrologist said the situation is different: rivers that have always frozen in colder winters and are now ice-covered, sprouted, faster, not frozen.

The Neris also does not freeze every year, it rarely freezes. This is a rare phenomenon this year.

“The Neris also does not freeze every year, it rarely freezes. This is a rare phenomenon this year. The Neris is quite fast, the icing must be quite cold and in harsh conditions like we have this year, and the river is frozen. Because there is ice and there will be an icebreaker, it usually builds up at turns or other obstacles, then suddenly, for a few or several hours, the water rises. Then the river carries away the confluence and the water decreases. Such phenomena are likely this year, “said the hydrologist.

The ice cream led the barge

Vilnius residents must remember perfectly how a few years ago, On February 2, 2016, ice cream took the White Bridge barge., who had a restaurant before the summer.

The owners had recently changed and it was thought that the new owner had not taken care of security.

Images were then captured of a barge sailing and crashing under the old Žvėrynas bridge. He then returned to the Neris embankment only after a good few months.

The ice cream also moved the barge in early March 2018But then rescuers rushed to the scene and the ship didn’t get very far.

However, already on the first day, when the thermometers will show a few degrees above zero, it is not worth waiting for special shows at the Neris; According to J.Šimkus, positive temperatures must be maintained for at least a week for intense dissolution to begin. In the city, sidewalks and streets turn much faster, the snow here turns into water much faster.

However, the accumulated snow in the forests and fields begins to melt not so fast, it takes at least a week of positive temperature. This also applies to ice in bodies of water.

Vilnius is preparing

The Vilnius City Municipality says it has already started some of these preparations for a possible flood.

According to the comment of the municipality and the Grinda company, the Neris embankment is designed so that the flood water and ice can pass through it.

“In order not to flood the streets or squares, Grinda specialists are already removing snow and ice from the water collection grid, and additional brigades are forming over the weekend. Additional safety measures have been taken, they they have removed 10 of the 16 benches from the Neris embankment and all the rubbish bins have been removed, ”the comment reads.

Firefighters remove ice cream if necessary. Various means can be used for this, from spreading peat to blasting ice cubes.

The municipality also claims that the floods in Vilnius are not caused so much by the large amount of water as by the ice clumps, which interrupt the flow of the river. Currently, the river ice is not very thick – the river freezes completely only a week ago.

“The firefighters remove the ice cream if necessary. Various means can be used for this, from spreading peat (dark peat attracts sunlight and melts ice) to breaking ice cubes. The weather will balance to 0 C next week (days will gradually warm to 1-3 C, then everything will freeze again).

However, if an emergency situation threatens or occurs, an Emergency Commission would be called to address the situation and, if necessary, call the civil protection forces (PAGD, Grinda, police, etc.) for assistance ”, the municipality commented.

In a special case, the services may alert and inform the population, state and municipal institutions and establishments, other institutions and economic entities about the threatening or emerging emergency situation, possible consequences, and measures to eliminate them.

The heaps of snow, pushed by the heavy snowfall, disappear quite quickly, at least in the center of the city; the snow is removed from here.