Sweden – Snowmelt Causes Flooding in Gävleborg

Warmer temperatures and melting snow in Sweden has caused some small and medium-sized watercourses to overflow. Sweden’s civil contingencies agency MSB reported flooding in several places in Svealand and southern Norrland.

Radio Sweden said that Gävleborg county has been hardest hit with the Norralaån river creeping up its banks and flooding some nearby buildings. MSB teams were called to assist in Gävleborg to supply pumping equipment and build temporary flood defences and damage has been kept to a minimum.

Elsewhere, officials in Dalarna County have requested satellite imagery via Copernicus EMS in order to evaluate the flood situation.

Sweden’s national weather service (Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute – SMHI) said that “snow is continuing to melt in Central Sweden and southern Norrland and that flows in medium-sized watercourses are now increasing.” As of 24 April flood warnings were still in place for 11 counties.

Highest level warnings (class 3) were for Norralaån. Class 2 warnings were in place for Gavleån and Testboån.

Flood situation in Malung, Sweden, 22 April 2018. Delineation map shows 7918.2 ha of land affected by the flooding. Image: Copernicus EMS

Flood Summary

Last updated: April 26, 2018
Event
Sweden, April 2018
Date
April 21, 2018
Type
Inland flood, River flood
Cause
Snow melt

Locations

A - Gävleborg
B - Dalarna

Magnitude

River level
54.1 metres
Norralaån river at Skogsliden near Söderhamn - April 22 to April 22, 2018