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River

Ume älv

467 km from source to mouth · Sweden.

SwedenSwedenFlows into Kvarken2nd longest in Sweden

Follow the riverMonth by month

SourceMouth
The river and every tributary in its basin, drawn from RiverATLAS (CC BY 4.0).

In numbers

Length

467km

Average flow

450m³/s

Basin

26,815km²

Drop

512m

from 512 m to 0 m

Country

1

The journey

From source to mouth

467 km of river and 55 stops on the way: 4 towns and cities on its banks, dams, bridges and the tributaries that feed it.

512 m0 m
Sourceat 512 m0 km
Västansjön4.3 km²36 km
Björkvattensdalen82 km²93 km
Holmträsket3.7 km²107 km
Storuman Lake169 km²177 km
Stenselet8.6 km²185 km
Haukträsket0.7 km²243 km
Blåviken17 km²247 km
Storbacksjön1.9 km²303 km
Yttre Kroksjön2.3 km²321 km
Bjurfors östra dämningsområde1.9 km²362 km
Umeå Municipality134,596 people432 km
Kvarkenat 0 m467 km
0100200300400467 km
  1. 0 kmSourceat 512 m
  2. 24 kmMaisor1.1 km²
  3. 24 kmGaina0.7 km²
  4. 27 kmAhasjön1.4 km²
  5. 36 kmVästansjön4.3 km²
  6. 46 kmStor-Laisan13 km²
  7. 79 kmGeavhta47 km²
  8. 93 kmBjörkvattensdalen82 km²
  9. 107 kmHolmträsket3.7 km²
  10. 109 kmStenträsket1.1 km²
  11. 111 kmUmnässjön13 km²
  12. 138 kmRödingträsket0.5 km²
  13. 142 kmSvärdasjön0.4 km²
  14. 177 kmStoruman Lake169 km²
  15. 185 kmStenselet8.6 km²
  16. 190 kmRackosjön2.0 km²
  17. 190 kmByssträsket0.7 km²
  18. 195 kmLångselet2.0 km²
  19. 197 kmMyrträsket0.9 km²
  20. 214 kmGrundforsdammen12 km²
  21. 217 kmGrundforsavan0.6 km²
  22. 219 kmBrännträsktjärnen0.4 km²
  23. 234 kmSpänningträsket0.9 km²
  24. 235 kmMörtsjön0.5 km²
  25. 243 kmHaukträsket0.7 km²
  26. 247 kmBlåviken17 km²
  27. 263 kmRusfors dämningsområde9.3 km²
  28. 263 kmStor-Granselet0.7 km²
  29. 268 kmLill-Granträsket0.3 km²
  30. 274 kmHöglandstjärnen0.4 km²
  31. 279 kmSkovelträsket1.1 km²
  32. 290 kmLycksträsket3.0 km²
  33. 292 kmLycksele8,545 people
  34. 293 kmKraftwerk Hällforsen
  35. 300 kmRenträsket0.3 km²
  36. 303 kmStorbacksjön1.9 km²
  37. 321 kmYttre Kroksjön2.3 km²
  38. 330 kmRössjön (lanaw sa Suwesya, Västerbottens län)3.1 km²
  39. 362 kmBjurfors östra dämningsområde1.9 km²
  40. 370 kmBjurfors norra dämningsområde1.3 km²
  41. 380 kmHarrsele dämningsområde1.8 km²
  42. 390 kmHällforstjärnen1.1 km²
  43. 399 kmVännäs4,373 people
  44. 405 kmStrandsjön0.7 km²
  45. 406 kmVindel Rivertributary
  46. 416 kmNorrforsen
  47. 419 kmStornorrfors Hydroelectric Power Station
  48. 423 kmKlabböle kraftverk
  49. 425 kmBaggbölebron
  50. 431 kmTegsbron
  51. 431 kmGamla bron
  52. 432 kmUmeå Municipality134,596 people
  53. 432 kmUmeå130,224 people
  54. 432 kmKyrkbron
  55. 435 kmKolbäck Bridge
  56. 439 kmUmeälvsbron
  57. 467 kmKvarkenat 0 m

Water level along the river (RiverATLAS; the height is exaggerated). Towns: GeoNames and Wikidata; bridges, dams and tributaries: Wikidata.

River in Västerbotten, Sweden

At the mouth it carries 450 m³/s on average: an Olympic pool every 5.6 seconds. It drops from 512 m to 0 m, 1.1 m per kilometre on average. Its basin covers 26,815 km², about the size of RW. 57,000 people live in it. Highest water, with the snowmelt: from May to July; lowest: from January to April. Dams and reservoirs hold back a large share of its water (29% of a year's flow).

Read more on Wikipedia

Where to start

  • Umeå MunicipalityLargest city on its banks · 134,596 people
  • Umeå Airport (UME)Nearest airport with scheduled flights, 5 km from the cityCar hire in UmeaDiscover Cars · Affiliate link
  • On the water20 ferry piers, marinas, boat rentals and boat ramps along the river (OpenStreetMap)
  • From June to AugustThe best months to visit

Ume älv, month by month

Highest water: from May to July

Lowest water: from January to April. Freezing months (average below −4 °C): from November to March. Melting snow makes up much of its water. Best months to visit: from June to August.

130
-11°48 mmJan
130
-10°35 mmFeb
130
-6°37 mmMar
130
0°31 mmApr
1,600
6°38 mmMay
1,500
12°54 mmJun
1,500
14°81 mmJul
610
12°72 mmAug
670
7°60 mmSep
670
2°53 mmOct
460
-5°55 mmNov
280
-9°48 mmDec
Water (estimated flow)Air (average) Rain (mm)Best months

From about 130 m³/s in the lowest month to 1,600 m³/s in the highest. An estimate: the monthly flow is modelled from the lowest and highest months of WaterGAP (RiverATLAS, 1971–2000) and the rain and snow along the river (WorldClim). Dams change the real rhythm. The chip is the average air temperature; below it, the month's rain.

Plan the trip

Plan the trip: boat trips, a bed by the river, a car

Car hire in UmeaDiscover CarsSee 

Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.

The basin

Ume älv: the basin in numbers

27,547 km² of land send their water to this river. This is what lives on it.

Heavily regulatedReservoirs can hold 29% of a year's flow: dams shape its seasons.
  • 57,000people live in the basin
  • 2/km²people per km²
  • 514maverage altitude of the basin
  • 684mmof rain a year (basin average)
  • 0.1°Caverage air temperature
  • 25%protected areas
  • 6.8%covered by lakes
  • 6%permafrost
  • 4.6km³held in reservoirs

What covers the basin

  • 75% Forest

RiverATLAS (HydroATLAS v1.0, CC BY 4.0): land cover, people, protected areas, glaciers and dams over the whole basin upstream of the mouth.

Along the river

Ume älv: what you find on the way

  • 31DamsUmforsdammen, Ajauredammen, Gardikforsdammen and 28 more
  • 2Weirs
  • 1Waterfalls
  • 12Boat rampsSlussfors and 11 more
  • 8MarinasStorumans båtklubb, Lundåkern, Öbacka småbåtshamn and 5 more
  • 12River beachesAnsia badplats, Hedlunda strand, Tannbäckens badplats and 9 more

From OpenStreetMap, within 2.1 km of the river. Not mapped is not the same as not there.

Cross-checked with our atlases

Ume älv in our other atlases

What our sister atlases know about the waterfalls on this river, the lakes it flows through, the beaches at its mouth, the mountains where it rises and the islands off its mouth.

  • 2waterfalls on the riverCascadyas
  • 40lakes on its wayLakeyas
  • 8beaches at the mouth and on the banksCoastya
  • 12mountains at the sourcePeakyas
  • 1island off the mouthIslandyas

Waterfalls (2)

On the river, by Cascadyas

  1. Kraftwerk Hällforsenkm 276
  2. Norrforsenkm 391

Cascadyas is coming soonOpen Cascadyas ↗

Lakes and reservoirs (40)

Lakes it flows through, by Lakeyas

  1. Stor-Laisankm 43 · 28 m deep13km²
  2. Geavhtakm 75 · 58 m deep47km²
  3. Björkvattensdalenkm 8782km²
  4. Umnässjönkm 104 · 44 m deep13km²
  5. Storuman Lakekm 166 · 135 m deep169km²
  6. Grundforsdammenkm 20112km²
  7. Blåvikenkm 23217km²
  8. Harrsele dämningsområdekm 3581.8km²

32 more on LakeyasLakeyas is coming soonOpen Lakeyas ↗

Beaches (8)

At the mouth (25 km) and on the banks, by Coastya

  1. Kärleksviken6.7 km away15.7°C
  2. Ljumvikens havsbad7.8 km away15.7°C
  3. Stöcksjö Strand6.0 km away15.8°C
  4. Bettnesand15 km away15.8°C
  5. Norrmjöle Havsbad14 km away15.8°C
  6. Sundet11 km away · cove15.7°C
  7. Bortre Nyviken5.1 km away · cove15.7°C
  8. Sillviken6.9 km away · cove15.7°C

Open Coastya ↗

Mountains at the source (12)

Within 15 km of the source, by Peakyas

  1. Valle10 km away
  2. Unna Keunja9.6 km away
  3. Keunjatjåkkå9.9 km away
  4. Gurdstjåkko5.5 km away
  5. Skrapetjakke7.9 km away
  6. Skrapeålge8.1 km away
  7. Råkkonjuonje7.5 km away
  8. Murtsernjuone13 km away

4 more on PeakyasOpen Peakyas ↗

Islands off the mouth (1)

Within 30 km of the mouth, by Islandyas

  1. Tarv12 km away0.7km²

Islandyas is coming soonOpen Islandyas ↗

From space

The source and the mouth, seen from orbit

Ume älv: satellite view of the source
The source14 km across
Ume älv: satellite view of the mouth
The mouth23 km across

Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX IT Services GmbH (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2016), CC BY 4.0. The glowing line is the river as drawn by RiverATLAS.

Photos

Ume älv in pictures

Umeälven at E45 near Storuman
Lars Falkdalen Lindahl · CC BY-SA 3.0
Umeälven (Umeå River) in Natura 2000 reserve in the Delta. Wintertime. Ice
Jennyferrytales · CC BY-SA 4.0
Umeälvens delta2 (1)
Moralist · CC BY-SA 4.0
Ume alv in Umea
Tage Olsin · CC BY-SA 2.0

Tributaries

Where it flows, and what flows into it

Tributaries (4)

Vindel RiverSwedenSweden450 km250 m³/sjoins at km 382

Also: Juktån, Tvärån, Umeå, Tvärån

Nearby

Rivers nearby

Vindel RiverSwedenSweden450 km250 m³/s27 km awaySkellefte RiverSwedenSweden410 km160 m³/s109 km awayPite RiverSwedenSweden400 km160 m³/s186 km awayIndalsälvenSwedenSweden420 km460 m³/s200 km awayLjunganSwedenSweden350 km140 m³/s217 km awayKalix RiverSwedenSweden461 km290 m³/s268 km awayKokemäenjokiFinlandFinland121 km230 m³/s256 km awayTorne RiverSwedenSweden470 km380 m³/s292 km away

Where these numbers come from

Name, length, placesWikidata (Q51845) · CC0
Course, profile, basinRiverATLAS v1.0 (HydroATLAS, Linke et al. 2019) · CC BY 4.0 — followed from the source to the mouth given by Wikidata
FlowWaterGAP (RiverATLAS), 1971–2000 · CC BY 4.0
Climate along the riverWorldClim (RiverATLAS), 1970–2000 · CC BY 4.0
Towns, bridges, damsWikidata · CC0; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0
Along the river© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
ImagesEOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons
Our other atlasesCascadyas, Lakeyas, Coastya, Peakyas, Islandyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; HydroLAKES · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST

Every source and licence is on the data sources page.

The family

Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?

Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, month by month, in seven languages.

beachesCoastyaFind your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit
lakesLakeyasEvery lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Coming soonVisit
mountainsPeakyasEvery summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit
waterfallsCascadyasEvery waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Coming soonVisit
islandsIslandyasEvery island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Coming soonVisit
riversRiveryasEvery river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.You are here
canyonsCanyonyasEvery canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Coming soonVisit