Year in review: Above-average temperatures, spring frost and downpours

April was the month of weather extremes this year, as temperatures rose high above average in the first half of the month. On several occasions, the mercury rose 5-10 degrees Celsius above the long-term average.

The turnaround came on 26 April when temperatures dropped dramatically, followed by heavy snows on 27 April and three more days of polar cold.

The late-spring frost heavily damaged crops, especially fruit and grape, as the early-April warm weather spurred fast growth of plants.

While Slovenian fruit growers have been hit by more than ten frosts over the past 30 years, most of them came earlier in the year and caused far less damage, shows the Environment Agency's (ARSO) data. The government estimates put this year's damage at EUR 44m.

Apart from that, Slovenia has been hit by several heavy storms this year, including a storm in the northern parts of the country on 29 August.

An automatic weather station in Slovenia's second largest city Maribor (NE) recorded 74 litres of rain per square metre in 70 minutes, which on average happens once in a century, ARSO said.

Later in the year, on 20 November, a heavy storm that did not move for several hours hit the coast. The Portorož Airport weather station recorded 106 litres of rain per square metre in less than four hours, which would happen once in 50 years.