Red alert issued for heavy rain in northern Slovenia

The red alert is in place for Gorenjska and central Slovenia for this morning, while Štajerska, Koroška and Prekmurje regions are in the red zone for this afternoon. An orange warning is in place for the rest of the country.

As a large amount of rain is expected to fall in a relatively short period of time, streams and small rivers could swell quickly or turn torrential, and landslides may be triggered.

The risk of torrential watercourses will be the biggest this afternoon and evening. The heaviest rainfall is expected in the area between Snežnik Mountain in the south and the Kamnik-Savinja Alps in the north.

To make matters worse the rain is forecast to drag on, and most at risk of flooding today are areas in western and central Slovenia, particularly in the south-central Notranjska region and the pre-Alpine hilly areas.

Also particularly vulnerable, especially on Tuesday, are areas in the north that were affected by devastating floods at the beginning of the month, and so the highest possible alert was issued for them.

Experts are optimistic though about the Sava and Savinja rivers staying within their banks in their lower segments, but warn that the tributaries of major rivers may increase. The Drava and Mura in the north and north-east are expected to spill over on Tuesday, but their flooding should be restricted to nearby, flood-prone areas.

There are concerns about what will happen in the landscape reshaped by the floods where rivers or other watercourses may be unpredictable, jumping their banks, hydrologist Janez Polajnar told a press conference, warning about active landslides.

The rain has already started in the western parts of the country. Storms with heavy rain hit the Primorska region in the morning, and according to ARSO they will linger there for a few more hours. In the afternoon the wave of storms will travel eastward.

By Tuesday morning, the biggest amount of rain is forecast to fall in western and central Slovenia, but in the east there is a chance of hailstorms or windstorms due to warmer air.

For now, an orange alert remains in place for most of the country for Tuesday, as rivers are expected to remain swollen, especially in northern Slovenia. Rivers in the east might be spilling over.

The situation will gradually calm down on Wednesday, and the forecast for the rest of the week is for partly clear weather without any extreme weather events.

Forecaster Branko Gregorčič told the press today that what is expected to unfold in the next two days is similar to the early-August storms in that it brings to mind autumn rains, but winds will be blowing from slightly different directions this time around, and the cyclone is not expected to hit the country as quickly as it seemed initially.

Taking into account the characteristics of the looming weather event, it is difficult to predict the amount of rainfall, but out of caution ARSO has issued the red alert, he added.