The Flood in Daugava

First evidence on floods in Daugava are recorded in 1358 and 1363 regarding the water flow-up in Riga. For two or three weeks in late March and April the melting ice in Daugava went downstream running into river bends, islands and fords, and creating ice weirs that raised water fast for some 4 to even 12 meters causing devastating floods.  The most dangerous part of ice in the river was sludge filling up the whole riverbed and blocking any further movement of ice to the sea. Oscillation of daily temperature in spring makes sludge the main reason for floods also today, especially at the points where reservoirs of HPS slow down the natural stream around the towns Jēkabpils, Pļaviņas and Ogre. For centuries, the course of ice towards the sea was not only a majestic spectacle of the season but also a dangerous event in everyday life in the Daugava valley.