Red warning now applies further downstream of the river, and also covers Övertorneå and from Sunday the stretch down to Haparanda.
– There may be new updates and warnings depending on how it develops over the weekend. The situation remains serious," says Hugo Rudebeck, hydrologist on duty at SMHI.
The spring flood is described as the worst in decades and is due to the melting of snow combined with heavy rain earlier in the week.
Red warning from Sunday
For the stretch of river downstream of Övertorneå down to Haparanda, an orange warning has been issued for high flows on Saturday. But from Sunday, a red warning applies for the stretch down to the coast.
"We believe that the risk is high, so it is justified to issue a red warning," says Hugo Rudebeck.
On the other hand, the flows have begun to peak at the height of Pajala, he continues.
"We expect it to peak downstream in the next few days as well.