Severe weather including heavy rain and snow has affected areas of South Eastern Europe over the last few days, with flooding reported in parts of Albania, Kosovo, Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece.
As reported by FloodList on 10 January, wide areas of Lezhë, Shkodër and Durrës counties in Albania were flooded after days of heavy rain from 06 January 2021. Some evacuations were also reported.
Severe flooding was also reported in parts of neighbouring Kosovo, in particular in the city of Gjakova where 70 were evacuated. Heavy rains also caused a landslide blocking a highway connecting Kosovo with Albania.
On 12 January media reported flooding in Kosovo Polje (also known as Fushë Kosova) and Drenas in central Kosovo, and Gjilan in eastern Kosovo.
Heavy rainfall in Bulgaria over the last few days increased river levels in Sofia and Pernik Provinces in western Bulgaria. A state of emergency was declared in the municipalities of Strumiani and Tran. Flooding was also reported in Batanovtsi, where 25 people were evacuated.
On 12 January, an orange level warning for heavy rain was in place for 5 districts in Southeast Bulgaria and a yellow level for heavy rain and for sleet in many districts in the rest part of the country. Kurdjali in southern Bulgaria recorded 82mm of rain in 24 hours to 12 January.
In Serbia, the Ministry of Interior reported a state of emergency was declared in the municipalities of Zitoradja, Doljevac, Dimitrovgrad and Vlasotince, parts of Bojnik municipality, and the city of Leskovac due to heavy rain and flooding rivers.
Twenty-two people were evacuated in Doljevac, 2 in Leskovac, 6 in Bojnik and 4 in Bujanovac. Leskovac recorded almost 80mm of rain in 24 hours to 11 January.
In Montenegro heavy rain damaged buildings in Ulcinj, while in Greece, Civil Protection and the Fire Service responded to incidents of flooding in Ioannina, Arta and Pramata in north-western Greece.
Ioannina recorded 50.5mm of rain in 24 hours to 12 January. Heavy rain was also reported in north eastern Greece, with Alexandroupoli seeing 207.8mm of rain during the same period.
