Yaroslavl Oblast Spring Flood Expected Near Normal
The Central UGMS used snow surveys and soil measurements to estimate spring flood levels.
In Yaroslavl Oblast, the spring flood of 2026 is expected to be within normal limits, but in some cases river levels may exceed normal values. This was stated in a preliminary assessment of the nature of the spring flood prepared by the Central Administration for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (Central UGMS).
The forecast was based on snow survey data conducted in January 2026, as well as measurements of soil freezing depth and pre-winter moisture levels of river basins.
«The maximum water level of rivers during the spring flood across the entire area of activity of the Federal State Budgetary Institution «Central UGMS» is expected to be above normal. The exception will be rivers flowing through Tver, Yaroslavl and Kostroma Oblasts, where the maximum water level marks of the spring flood will be close to normal or exceed it by up to 1.5 meters,» reported Central UGMS.
Specialists also warned that ice jams during ice drift could cause additional water level rises of 1–2 meters, in some cases reaching critical levels.
It is worth recalling that in 2025 the opposite problem occurred: the shallowing of the Volga due to a low-snow winter. Because of the low water levels, the launch of the «Meteor» hydrofoil between Yaroslavl and Nizhny Novgorod was delayed. Cruise routes were adjusted in the regions. And in Rybinsk, the water receded from the shore by several meters, exposing a sunken barge and an ancient water intake.
