A severe hail storm has ripped through trees and roofs in Croatia, as hundreds of fires rage across neighbouring Serbia, both nations grappling with intense heat across the Balkan region.
Croatia's Adriatic port city of Split bore the brunt of a brief but powerful storm on Tuesday morning. High winds and hail damaged the roof of the city's football stadium, and a ferry slipped its moorings at the port, hitting two other vessels, one of which sank.
At least three people were injured in the storm, with material damage across the city described as huge. Photos carried by Croatian media showed downed trees and flooded streets.
The Index news portal said that offices and the pitch itself at Split's Poljud stadium were damaged as well as the roof. The report quoted the Split meteorological service as saying that “such storms are usual after a long period of heat with extremely hot days.”
Previously, Croatia and the rest of the Balkans experienced a heat wave with temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) and more. Meteorologists said the storms prefigured cooler days ahead with temperatures set to drop to around 20 degrees Celsius (68 Fahrenheit) in some areas.
The weather service in neighboring Slovenia said on Tuesday that snow fell at high altitudes in the Alps while the rest of the country has been pounded with heavy rain and hail.
In Serbia, firefighters battled more than 600 wild fires on Monday that injured six people. Serbia has been hit by a severe drought this summer that has endangered crops and led to restrictions in supplies of drinking water throughout the country.
Serbian police late on Monday urged residents to be very cautious as dry and hot weather increases chances of wild fires. At least three municipalities in southern parts of the country declared emergency measures due to the fires.
“Many villages were jeopardized. We have a number of burnt and damaged properties but we have managed to save many too,” senior emergency official Nedeljko Gagic told state-run RTS television.
Serbia's meteorological institute has also warned on low water levels on the two biggest rivers in the country, the Danube and the Sava, as well as smaller ones.
Experts say that extreme weather conditions can be linked to climate change. Extremely hot weather and wild fires were reported throughout Europe in early July.
