External waters: 13 regions faced severe flooding
At least five regions of Russia were covered by powerful floods, follows from the data of the Hydrometeorological Center of Russia. These are the Altai and Krasnoyarsk Territories, Novosibirsk, Omsk and Tomsk regions. At the same time, high but not critical water levels were recorded in the Bryansk, Vladimir, Kursk, Kirov, Nizhny Novgorod regions, Mari El and Udmurtia. The situation in Dagestan has also stabilized. How the regions are coping with floods and where there is still significant snow cover, which can cause new emergencies, is in the Izvestia article.
How long will the floods last
Spring floods caused flooding of thousands of land plots and residential buildings in several regions of Russia. As of April 13, the water level rose to dangerous levels in the Altai and Krasnoyarsk territories, Novosibirsk, Omsk and Tomsk regions, according to the Hydrometeorological Center of Russia.
In addition, in the next three days, high but not critical water levels will remain in the Bryansk, Vladimir, Kursk, Kirov, Nizhny Novgorod regions, Mari El, Udmurtia and Dagestan. The current situation there is unfavorable, but not dangerous.
The reason for the large-scale floods was the melting of snow that had accumulated over the winter, Natalia Yumina, head of the Department of river hydrological forecasts at the Hydrometeorological Center of Russia, told Izvestia. According to her, the situation throughout the country will stabilize only in the summer.
"The flooding across Russia will end in early or mid—June," she said.
In the European part of Russia, the situation is already stabilizing, although in some regions the snow has not completely melted. In Siberia, the active flood phase is just beginning. In some regions beyond the Urals, snow cover may even increase — for example, light precipitation is forecast in the coming days in the Tomsk and Novosibirsk regions, Tatyana Pozdnyakova, a leading specialist at the Meteonosti news agency, told Izvestia.
— Almost the whole of Siberia remains under snow. Moreover, the height of the snow cover there exceeds 50 cm. There is a lot of snow in Yakutia, where the snow cover is 35 cm high," she said.
The situation is similar in Kamchatka, the Magadan Region and Chukotka, where the snow cover ranges from 20 to 55 cm.
Which regions have a difficult situation
During the week, more than 560 residential and country houses across Russia, more than 3,000 household plots and more than 120 transport infrastructure facilities were freed from water, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations reported. For example, in the Nizhny Novgorod region, water left 235 sites in four municipal districts, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the region reported.
But at the same time, new territories fall into the flood zones. In the same Nizhny Novgorod region, more than 230 sites were flooded. In the Altai Territory, 142 residential buildings, 306 household plots, two sections of highways, as well as a low-water bridge have been flooded in recent days, the regional department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations reported.
In the Tomsk region, 25 residential buildings and 185 plots were flooded in the village of Chernaya Rechka, and eight vegetable gardens in the village of Takhtamyshevo, said the head of the region, Vladimir Mazur. According to him, more than 70 residents were evacuated, and ice began to explode on the Tom River.
"The ice-blasting operations on the Tom are not the first. They were held on March 23 in preparation for the flood, which was predicted to be one of the most difficult in recent years, given the unusually snowy winter," the governor wrote on his social networks.
The flood in Mari El exceeded the long-term average values, said the head of the republic, Yuri Zaitsev. Last week, he cited information that more than 220 households were flooded in the region, and now the situation is stabilizing.
"An increase in the water level by 5 cm was recorded only on the Volga, since flooding on large rivers takes place a little later. The situation that requires attention remains in the Zvenigovsky district," Zaitsev wrote on social networks.
More than 530 household plots and 54 country houses, as well as two automobile bridges, remain flooded in the Novosibirsk Region at the moment, said Viktor Orlov, head of the regional department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. He clarified that two settlements in the Bolotninsky and Toguchinsky districts were cut off from transport links, but there was enough food for residents.
"As of April 12, 2026, nine residential and 57 country houses, 1,196 household plots, 14 low—water bridges, and 15 sections of highways were flooded in 25 municipalities," the department said.
As of April 13, two bridges on the Ik and Chazh rivers, as well as two dirt roads, remain flooded in Tatarstan, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the region reported.
At the beginning of spring, the situation in Dagestan was the most acute — due to heavy rains on March 28 and April 4-5, two waves of flooding occurred there. More than 2 thousand residential buildings were flooded, and the authorities evacuated more than 4 thousand people in the Derbent district due to a dam break at the Gejuk reservoir, the Ministry of Emergency Situations reported.
Now the water is draining, more than 500 houses remain flooded.
"As of today, we are not witnessing a possible third wave, sudden weather changes on the scale that were recorded earlier, but local outbreaks persist, especially in mountainous areas," said Sergey Melikov, the head of the republic, on social networks.
Causes of floods
For settlements located near rivers, exceeding the water level even to dangerous values in spring is a normal phenomenon, says Mikhail Bolgov, a hydrologist at the Institute of Water Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a specialist in floods and the use of water resources.
— Heavy flooding is predicted promptly. For example, flooding has been reported in the Altai Territory since mid-March. A dangerous rise in the water level is something that the operational services of all regions should be prepared for," he told Izvestia.
He clarified that floods sometimes occur for technical reasons.
— Start building roads, houses and other buildings that prevent water from flowing. The result is that the area begins to flood during heavy precipitation, for example, poorly predictable ice jams occur," the expert said.
He noted that floods may increase due to rains.
Tatiana Pozdnyakova agreed with him.
"The southern cyclone that haunts our North Caucasus is still in force," she told Izvestia.
Therefore, according to her, heavy rains will take place along the Volga River in the next 24 hours: precipitation is expected from Volgograd and almost to Kazan.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
