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The 1931 flood was caused by conditions created in the fall of 1930, says the hydrologist. At that time, rainfall in the Neris basin fell 13 percent. more than normal, so before the river froze, its water level was 114 cm higher than the average perennial water level. Deep ground frosts have formed as the ground freezes very wet. The winter was deep and long, and the snow only began to melt in mid-April, with high temperatures reaching 19 ° C. The snow began to melt very quickly and all the water that melted from the snow’s surface flowed towards the rivers.
1931 April 21 Neris and Vilnius flooded the coasts and flooded the low streets of Vilnius. April 26 The maximum flow of the Neris in Vilnius was 1690 m³ / s (in comparison, today it is about 6-7 times lower during normal floods), and the water level rose 825 cm above the zero post . According to J. Brastovickytė – Stankevič, the water covered the Cathedral Square, the current streets T. Vrublevskis, Tilto, Žygimantų, the districts of Antakalnis and Žvėrynas.
Residents were forced to leave their homes, some hiding in barracks and others staying with relatives. Some 2,000 people were left without shelter and had to navigate between the houses in boats. The flood destroyed and washed away some 4,000 huts. In the river near the Green Bridge, it was possible to see the remains of houses, roofs, walls, fences, beehives, the dog’s path and other things across the water. According to hydrologist J. Brastovickytė-Stankevič, the water rose so fast that it reached the level of the Green Bridge. All of these fins tripped and got stuck on the Green Bridge, threatening to remove it because there was only about 12 inches of space left between the water and the bottom of the bridge. Residents were mobilized to rescue the bridge – day and night by boat they dragged objects to the river bank, and the bridge held out. It was very difficult to navigate because the current speed was 3.5 m / s.
Floods this large are rare in Lithuania, the last major flood was recorded in 1979, when there was little shortage to flood Vilnius, says the head of the Forecast and Warning Division. specialist J. Brastovickytė – Stankevič. However, according to her, since 1976, 15 percent. the water is held back by the Vileika Dam and protects Vilnius to some extent.
The Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service says that today, to imagine at least how much the water level had risen in Vilnius in 1931. On April 26, a note can be found on the wall of the Academy Library.
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