Icy days are coming. Rain and snow showers plus a sharp cold snap are covering Bulgaria over the next 48 hours.
Temperatures will drop to minus 10, minus 15 degrees. The continuous heavy rain in Sofia has led to many problems - from stuck cars and flooded streets, to a serious rise in river levels in Sofia and the surrounding area.
Flooded streets, overflowing manholes - throughout the day, Sofia residents reported accidents in the capital and nearby settlements as a result of the heavy rainfall. One of the critical points was the area of "Cherniya Kos", near the village of Vladaya. Videos shared on social media show the road turning into a river and the cars turning into boats.
Rado: "The manholes aren't being cleaned, you know, the snow eater came - the wind, knocked down all the leaves, clogged the manholes. Again! It's like this every year. Do you understand? I live here. There's no cleaning in the morning, I can't get down to work - it's a complete cacophony!"
The Ring Road between the "Boyana" and "Dragalevtsi" neighborhoods in the direction of "Mladost" was also flooded. Traffic on the local lane of the Southern Arc of the Ring Road was temporarily disrupted due to flooding.
"I crashed, there was a lot of water and water got through the air filter and my engine probably stalled. My colleagues pulled me here, they came with the van and pulled me out, now I'm waiting for the "Roadside Assistance" to bring the bus on board."
A section around the Slatinska River was also closed. During the day, teams from "Emergency Assistance and Prevention" worked there.
Georgi: "This is the first time, for the simple reason that at the end of the tunnel they had opened an opening that was draining the water, it apparently got clogged, the shaft or something, I don't know, and this has happened here for 3-4 days".
Toni: "It often floods, when it rains intensely it floods often. We'll get wet on the other side and cross"
The level of the Kakach River, which has been the cause of serious floods over the years, has also risen significantly. The mayor of the "Vrabnitsa" district reassured that for now there is no reason for concern.
Rumen Kostadinov, mayor of the "Vrabnitsa" district: "The situation in the region is calm, all rivers are within normal limits, only the Kakach River is at a higher level than normal, but at the moment we are monitoring the situation and the situation is under control. I have no concerns that the river may overflow, the only problem might be if the colleagues from Bankya release too much from the dam, since there is a dam there and it is one of the tributaries of the Kakach River".
The "Directorate of Emergency Assistance and Prevention" of the Sofia Municipality assured that they are dealing with the situation and are ready to react if necessary.
Krassimir Dimitrov, the director of the "Directorate of Emergency Assistance and Prevention" of the Sofia Municipality: "Since 7:00 this morning we have had 13 signals of flooding, we have two critical points, one of which is the river at the Southern Arc, we very quickly brought it inside its channel, currently the problem of Vladaya and the problem in the underpass of "Hristo Smirnenski", where heavy equipment is currently working on drainage. We currently have 10 teams, and we have the additional ability to call in more teams, so they are sufficient at the moment, as we have worked out all the signals."
The movement to Vitosha was prohibited for cars today from 10.00 in the morning to 15.00 in the afternoon.
Policeman: "You can't go up, there is a ban from 10.00 to 15.00, go back to the bus stop, use public transport".
The buses were running on schedule, and snowplows were clearing the road. The measure is in effect tomorrow, when significant rainfall is expected again.