From May 24-26, the central regions of the Mediterranean Sea experienced active cyclogenesis, resulting in heavy rainfall across the whole country. The most intense thunderstorms occurred on the evening of May 25 and the early morning of May 26. In particular, the Lori-Tavush region recorded rainfall levels of 40-55 mm, which is 40-60% of the monthly average. The Shirak Region Office reported the situation.

The Debed and Aghstev rivers experienced significant increases in water levels, reaching over 2 meters higher than the previous day. This led to flooding in the surrounding areas and caused damage to residential spaces. On May 26, monitoring points recorded a significant rise in river water levels.

According to the monitoring data, the water discharge from the Debed-Ayrum monitoring point was 650 m3/s on May 26 morning, compared to 119 m3/s the previous day. The Dzoraget-Garni monitoring point recorded a water discharge of 350 m3/s, compared to 73.5 m3/s the previous day. The Tashir-Saratoovka monitoring point recorded a discharge of 75 m3/s, compared to 16.6 m3/s the previous day. Similar high water discharges were observed in the Debed River basin on May 19, 1959. On that day, the Debed-Ayrum monitoring point recorded the highest discharge of 759 m3/s, followed by 395 m3/s in Dzoraget-Garni, and 112 m3/s in Tashir-Saratoovka.

These water discharges observed on May 26 are the highest in the past 65 years and the second highest overall. This May has been the most active in terms of cyclonic activity, with intense thunderstorms and heavy rainfall throughout the country. The affected areas have exceeded the monthly average by 180-230% due to ongoing rainfall. May could go down in history as one of the wettest months in terms of meteorological events. Although weather conditions are expected to improve, the country will continue to experience moderate to heavy rainfall and occasional thunderstorms.

From May 27-30, affected areas will see short periods of sunny weather, primarily during the morning hours. As of 13:00 on May 26, water levels in the Debed River basin began to decrease by 30-35 cm. The Ministry of Emergency Situations is closely monitoring the situation and will provide updates as needed.

This article was originally published on NEWS.am Telegram. Source: NEWS.am