Extreme January in the Balkans

The year 2024 brought a New Year's surprise to the inhabitants of the Balkans: an Arctic cyclone hit the region, bringing severe frosts, stormy winds and snowfall. As a result, highways were blocked and school classes were canceled in Romania due to snowstorms and 20-degree frosts. Dozens of snowplows had to be brought onto the country's roads. More than 400 tons of salt were used to remove the ice. The Emergency Management Inspectorate had to use all its forces, but almost 6 million Romanians were affected by the rampant elements.

In Greece, the same cyclone was marked by strong winds, rain and hail. In Athens, the streets are flooded, in Thessaloniki, the wind force has reached the 9th degree of the level on the 12-point Beaufort scale. The movement of ferries connecting the Aegean Islands has been stopped.

In Slovenia, due to heavy rain, a group of tourists got stuck in the Križna Yama cave in the south-west of the country. The increased water level in the underground lakes cut off a group of 5 people from reaching the surface. As a result, the one-day walk turned into a 3-day survival quest. Fortunately, local rescuers and divers conducted a unique life support operation for people stuck underground and after three days were able to get extreme tourists out of the cave.

And in Serbia, almost 200 cows and horses had to be evacuated from an island on the Danube. The unfortunate animals were unable to return to shore due to precipitation, which raised the water level in the river. For almost a week, the herd was on the island without food and warm shelter, which, with a sharp cold snap, threatened the death of livestock. Rafts of special design were used to transport animals from the island to the farm. However, it was not possible to save all of them.