Elliðaár, the river situated in the outer Reykjavík area in the southwest Iceland, flooded its banks in several locations, RUV reports. Breiðholtsbraut, Norðlingaholt and Rauðhólar areas have also been affected.
Flows into the Elliðaár river basin have been increasing over the weekend. Water levels in Hólmsá and Bugði are also growing rapidly. According to the Meteorological Office’s water meter, the flow in Hólmsá has tripled since yesterday morning. The highest flow in nine years has also been measured in Ölfusá yesterday.
In Borgarfjörður, water from Sanddalsá to Norðurárdalur has partially flooded the Ring Road. Road conditions there have been difficult due to thawing. Heydalsvegur is also closed due to water damage.
According to Hulda Rós Helgadóttir, a nature conservation specialist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, the floods are happening due to precipitation and snow melting, but the weather forecast seems rather uneventful for the next couple of days, so there’s a high chance the water levels in rivers will level off.
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