Heavy rain floods streets and buildings in Riga as city braces for storm

Sustained, intense rain began falling over Riga on Saturday morning, quickly causing the first problems in the Latvian capital. Residents shared photos and videos on social media showing flooded streets, large puddles, and manhole covers with water forcing its way out.

The situation was particularly severe in the Skanste neighborhood, where residents reported that manholes on Vesetas Street were already overflowing even before the heaviest rain arrived. The Riga city council responded to such reports online, urging residents to report incidents via the municipal 24-hour hotline 1201 or by email.

Drivers also faced difficulties — a large puddle formed under the Dienvidu Bridge, causing traffic congestion. Heavy rain was also reported in the Āgenskalns district and other parts of the city.

City urges caution

Riga Mayor Viesturs Kleinbergs urged residents on social media to avoid leaving their homes unless necessary and to look after their safety, stressing that emergency services were ready to respond promptly to consequences of the storm and heavy rain.

Riga Deputy Mayor Edvards Ratnieks reported that 76 rain-related incidents had been registered in the city so far — mostly flooded roadways, though water also entered basements and ground floors of several buildings. One tree and one branch broke. Services have already pumped out flooded areas or are still working on it.

Heavy rain was also reported in Jūrmala and Jelgava, while the rest of Latvia experienced a relatively calm situation in the first half of Saturday, without strong wind yet.

Latvia's Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre had forecast a storm and very heavy rain for Saturday, issuing orange, yellow and, in places, red warnings for wind and precipitation across the country. Because of the warnings, a number of planned outdoor events across Latvia have been cancelled.