Historic spring floods hit northern Finland for the first time in over a century

Spring rains and unseasonably warm weather have caused river levels to rise sharply across Finland, with flooding now peaking from southern Finland up to the Oulu region, public broadcaster Yle reports.

Water levels in the Kalajoki River have reached historic highs not seen in over 100 years, according to Riku Sanaksenaho, a water management expert at the Lapland Centre for Economic Development. The Siikajoki River is experiencing its worst flooding in 50 years.

“Monitoring typically focuses on flood magnitude rather than timing, but we do have long-term records,” Sanaksenaho said. In Kalajoki, flood observations date back to 1911, and this year’s peak—occurring in March—is unprecedented.

Harri Myllyniemi, a researcher at the Finnish Environment Institute, confirmed that Kalajoki’s spring flood has set a new record. “A March peak has never been documented before. This is truly exceptional.”

While flooding has been severe in northern Finland, southern and western regions are seeing smaller-than-average spring floods. Some basements along the west coast have been inundated, but no major damage has been reported. The national water situation report indicates that this year’s floods in southern and western Finland will remain well below average.

In the Kalajoki region, the flood is expected to recede within days, with water levels projected to be the lowest on record.