Weekend forecast: Bulgaria set to avoid more bad weather
The cold spell gripping Bulgaria will continue over the weekend, but the weather front ravaging Central Europe is set to pass the country by, Bulgaria’s National Meteorology Institute said on March 15.
Temperature highs at the weekend are expected to range between 1C and 6C, dipping below freezing point at night. Scattered rain and snowfall has been forecast, mainly in eastern Bulgaria and in mountainous areas, but the skies will begin to clear on Sunday.
On Saturday, occasional gusts of strong wind should be expected before noon, but are forecast to subside later in the day.
The cold spell is expected to lift on March 19, the Meteorology Institute said.
Hungary is one of the countries affected the most by the weather front that brought cold weather, snow and strong winds to Central Europe, with parts of Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic affected as well.
Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry issued a travel warning, advising against travel to the affected areas. Several Bulgarian nationals were trapped on Hungarian roads by the bad weather, but the Bulgarian embassy in Budapest was in constant contact with them, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, in Bulgaria, efforts continued to restore electricity following the destruction wrought by strong winds on March 14. As of 3pm on March 15, an estimated 25 000 people were still without power in Gabrovo and Veliko Turnovo regions, the worst affected by the weather, local news agency Focus reported.
The municipalities of Gabrovo, Tryavna and Dryanovo remained in a state of emergency. In Gabrovo alone, the damages caused by strong winds were estimated at three million leva, mayor Tanya Hristova said, as quoted by Focus.
Local residents were advised to stay indoors and especially not to attempt driving in the territory of the municipality. The gusts of wind, reaching hurricane strength for short periods of time, also caused the death of a 20-year-old woman in Gabrovo, who was hit by scaffolding swept by the wind.
(Photo: Michael Hornak)
