Frosts are reigning in Latvia that have not been seen in the country for many years. This January has brought the coldest weather since 2012. In Riga, this is felt not only by the crunching snow underfoot and the "crisp" air but also by the rare sight in the city: people are reaching the other bank of the Daugava not by bridge, but by ice.
The video shows people walking in groups and alone on the frozen river — entire paths have already been trodden. But is it safe?
Questions have started coming to the Riga City Council: is it allowed to be on the ice of the Daugava? In a response for TV3.lv, the municipality emphasizes: only a strictly defined area where ice thickness is monitored is permitted; in other places, it remains a risk and a violation.
The problem is that the ice on the river is not a "single slab." It can be significantly stronger near the shore and considerably weaker in the riverbed, in areas of current, holes, near bridge supports, and in areas where other watercourses flow in. Therefore, a visual "path" is not proof of safety — it merely shows that someone has passed here before.
The situation is also assessed by observations from specialists. The Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre published measurements of the average ice thickness on individual rivers, including the Daugava, at the end of January (in one of the Riga observation points, values of about twenty centimeters were indicated). But even such figures do not mean that the same thickness is maintained across the entire width of the river and along its entire length — this is precisely why city services tie permissions to specific segments and monitoring conditions.
@otkrito.lv Riga residents conquer the Daugava - the water has already frozen so much 😳 #даугава #рига #латвия #otkritolv #shorts ♬ оригинальный звук - Otkrito.lv
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