Latvia is Covered by the Deepest Snow Since 2013

Photo: LETA

After Friday's snowstorm, Latvia is covered by the deepest snow cover since spring 2013, according to data from the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Center (LETA).

The greatest snow depth at the LCESGM observation stations was recorded in Dagda on Saturday morning — 62 centimeters. Such an amount of snow has not been seen in the country since April 2013, when the snow depth in Alūksne reached 70 centimeters.

The largest increase in snow depth — by 20 centimeters — was registered at the 'Sili' observation station in the municipality of Līvan, where the snow height rose from 38 to 58 centimeters. In second place is the meteorological station in Gulbene, where the snow depth increased by 18 centimeters — from 28 to 46 centimeters.

In many places across the country, the snow cover has thickened by more than ten centimeters; however, in parts of Kurzeme and in the northwest of Vidzeme, snow reserves did not increase, and due to the wind, some observation stations even recorded a slight decrease in snow depth.

At the observation station in the center of the capital, the snow cover thickness increased from 16 to 25 centimeters.

Early on Saturday morning, the snow thickness at the observation stations ranged from five centimeters in Mērsrags and seven centimeters in Kolka, Daugavgrīva, Ainaži, and Rujiena to 50 centimeters in Daugavpils, 54 centimeters in Piedruja of the Krāslava region, 58 centimeters in Sili of the Līvan region, and 62 centimeters in Dagda.

The 40-centimeter mark was also exceeded at the observation stations in Gulbene and Rēzekne, and reached in Jēkabpils and Skrīveri.

At the LCESGM stations, snow cover is measured using an ultrasonic sensor on a specially prepared site. Meteorological stations are usually located in open areas, and at the observation point, the wind often blows away the snow or sometimes forms a snowdrift, so the average snow thickness in the vicinity can significantly differ from the measurements recorded at the station.

On Saturday morning, light snow continues in the southeast of Latgale, with air temperatures across the country ranging from -9 to -14 degrees, and a moderate northern to northeastern wind blowing, lifting snow in some areas. No significant precipitation is expected in the next 24 hours, meteorologists forecast.