A severe storm hit St. Petersburg on Friday, bringing intense winds and rising water levels in the Neva River, which prompted weather alerts and led to the temporary closure of parks and museums.

According to the St. Petersburg Dam, water levels reached 1.8 meters (5.9 feet) by 8 a.m. local time. Flood conditions are triggered when the Neva River rises above 1.6 meters (5.2 feet) within the city’s boundaries, but the dam successfully prevented this from occurring.

“I believe that most people, looking at the clear skies and calm weather at 8 p.m. the previous evening—when temperatures were 28 degrees Celsius [82.4 degrees Fahrenheit]—did not expect the forecast we provided,” noted St. Petersburg’s chief meteorologist Alexander Kolesov on Friday morning. “However, the reality outside is now evident. If it weren’t for the dam, flooding would have already taken place.”

“With assurance, we can declare that St. Petersburg has experienced its second flood in July in the city’s recorded history,” Kolesov remarked.

The strong winds, which uprooted trees and damaged structures around the city, were predicted to persist through the morning before gradually diminishing, Kolesov stated. Water levels, already elevated due to the dam’s floodgates being closed, were projected to peak at around 120 centimeters (3.9 feet) within the city limits by Friday afternoon.

Officials closed museums, parks, and gardens as a precaution against the storm.

Over the last 300 years, St. Petersburg has experienced more than 300 flooding events, with two-thirds of them resulting in water levels surpassing the “dangerous” mark of 2.1 meters (6.8 feet).

Flooding typically occurs when storms from the west force Baltic Sea waters into the shallow Neva Bay, causing overflow into the Neva River banks and the network of canals throughout the city.

In the years 1777, 1824, and 1924, water levels exceeded the “catastrophic” threshold of 3 meters, leading to hundreds of fatalities and widespread destruction.