Riga, March 10 (LETA) - State and municipal institutions have prepared for possible floods, the State Chancellery told LETA.

It said that on Tuesday, the Cabinet of Ministers held a Crisis Management Meeting, which, among other things, examined the informative report of the Climate and Energy Ministry, "Flood Risk Management in the 2026 Flood Period".

The meeting discussed flood risks in Latvia in spring 2026, particularly in the major river basins, which are affected by the amount of snow and ice, as well as spring meteorological conditions. Informing and warning the population in good time is a key element of flood risk reduction, the State Chancellery stressed.

The Crisis Management Meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers is the main format for strategic decision-making in the field of crisis management and national risk management. They are convened to review national defense and security planning documents, to conduct exercises and readiness reviews, and to deal with real crises.

The next Crisis Management Meeting is scheduled for April.

As reported, at the end of February, the Climate and Energy Ministry informed that together with the responsible services, preparations for the spring flooding season were continuing. At that time, the ministry noted that snow cover in Latvia this winter was particularly abundant compared to the last five years and that the ice layer on Latvian rivers was thicker than in other years.

These conditions may affect the course of spring flooding and raise water levels in some places, including where they have been observed less frequently or not at all in the past. The responsible services have therefore started their preparations for the spring season in good time as a precautionary measure to reduce potential risks and ensure the availability of material resources, the ministry said.

Currently, water levels in most Latvian rivers are rising or falling by a few centimeters a day, according to the Latvian Centre for Environment, Geology and Meteorology as of March 10.

Water levels in rivers are mostly lower than usual during spring floods. Ice persists in many places and water levels may fluctuate more rapidly as it recedes.