An orange code for rain and snow has been announced for nine regions in the country today, the NIMH announced on its website.
The warning is for the regions of Kardzhali, Haskovo, Stara Zagora, Gabrovo, as well as for parts of Plovdiv, Yambol, Smolyan, Veliko Tarnovo and Sliven.
NIMH announced a yellow code for rain and snowfall for the regions of Pazardzhik, Lovech, Pleven, Ruse, Targovishte, Silistra, Dobrich, Varna, Razgrad, Shumen, as well as for some settlements in the regions of Burgas, Veliko Tarnovo, Plovdiv, Sliven and Smolyan.
On the "Trakia" highway Traffic is moving slowly due to heavy snowfall and reduced visibility.
260 snowplows are clearing the roads on the republican roads. Snow is falling in 14 districts.
Temporarily, due to heavy snowfall and clearing, the passage of heavy trucks with trailers and semi-trailers through the passes “Rozhen“, “Prevala“, as well as part of the republican roads in the districts of Ruse, Smolyan, Razgrad and Shumen, is restricted. Restrictions have been introduced on sections of the road I-5 Ruse-Byala, I-2 Ruse-Razgrad-Shumen.
In the district of Sofia, the passage on the road II-82 Sofia-Samokov in the section near “Zlatna Ribka“ continues to be temporarily restricted. The reason is a rock mass that has fallen onto the roadway. The bypass route is along road III-181 Bistritsa - Zheleznitsa - Yarema - Samokov.
What is the situation by region?
Veliko Tarnovo Region
Problems with snow in Veliko Tarnovo Region on the international road Ruse - Svilengrad. A truck got stuck in a ditch on the route near the village of Pokraishte.
Queues of trucks formed in the northern part of the Republic Pass near the village of Vaglevtsi. Travel on the Sofia - Varna road is slow - in the Lovech region and the Sevlievo region.
Plovdiv Region
The gorge from the village of Varvara to the Kostandovo Station has been temporarily closed to traffic. The reason is that stones and rock mass have fallen in several places, as well as the danger of new ones falling as a result of the heavy rain. The road will be reopened after it is cleaned and it becomes possible for cars to safely pass along it.
Peshtera-Batak-Rakitovo - Kostandovo Station - Velingrad can be used as a bypass route. The Belovo-Yundola road can also be used as a bypass. Teams from the police departments in Septemvri and Velingrad are positioned on both sides of the route and are redirecting cars.
Razgrad
Sleet is falling in the Razgrad region and complicating the road situation, with heavy trucks stuck in places. There are no closed roads, but traffic on individual sections is difficult.
Two trucks are stuck on the ascent of the hill towards the village of Osenets and are preventing the normal passage of vehicles. The situation is similar in the Derventa region, where heavy trucks cannot climb the hill and are creating temporary difficulties. 15 machines are working on the ground to clean and treat the pavements. The Regional Road Administration calls on drivers to drive with increased caution and at a speed appropriate to the weather conditions.
Ruse
The situation in Ruse is particularly difficult. The Ministry of Interior announced that preparations are beginning for the complete closure of the Ruse-Byala road so that cleaning can take place. It has been snowing in the region for over 12 hours, and the precipitation is expected to continue until tomorrow morning. The snow cover is about 12 cm.
There is a risk of the Cherni Lom River overflowing near three Ruse villages. Regional Governor Dragomir Draganov and his deputy Georgi Georgiev are in constant contact with all competent institutions and, if necessary, additional emergency measures will be taken.
The border crossing between Ruse and Giurgiu is passable in winter conditions, despite the queues of waiting cars on both sides of the Danube Bridge.
The RIA informed about temporary restrictions on the road between Ruse and Razgrad due to a broken-down truck.
Over 40 specialized machines are on the ground, cleaning and treating over 500 km of the republican road network in the region against icing.
There is no information about settlements without electricity, water and telecommunications. The situation is being monitored continuously.
Two more republican roads are closed to heavy goods traffic. We are talking about the roads Ruse - Razgrad - Shumen and Ruse - Byala. The Ruse - Razgrad - Shumen route is impassable for trucks over 12 tons in both directions, due to snowfall and snow removal. This applies to both directions.
In the city of Ruse, eight public transport lines have been stopped due to icy roads and their processing.
Staro Zagorsko
The snowfall is heavy on the Shipka Pass. It is one of the most important transport links between Northern and Southern Bulgaria, so traffic is serious, and the RIA appeals for careful driving with chains. On the Pass of the Republic, they are ready to partially stop traffic in case of worsening road conditions.
A partial state of emergency has been declared in the municipality of Galabovo because the river in the village of Obruchishte has flooded the ground floors of houses and yards. There are similar situations in other places in Stara Zagora.
Montana
Due to heavy snowfall, the main road E79 is temporarily closed for cleaning in two sections in the municipality of Montana.
Traffic jams have formed in the section near the village of Sumer and in the section between the villages of Dolna Verenitsa and Montana. Snowplows and sandblasters are currently working there, but the snow is falling very heavily and a few minutes after the road is cleared, it is covered again.
Temperatures in the region are from minus 2 to plus 1 degrees, the snow cover is 5-10 centimeters. 30 machines are clearing and sandblasting the roads, and more are ready to be involved if the intensity of the precipitation increases. At the moment, there are no reports of stuck cars.
It is snowing in the "Petrohan" pass in the Stara Planina Mountains, and three machines are clearing and sandblasting in its mountainous part. There is heavy traffic in the pass and only vehicles equipped with winter tires should be used.
Smolyan Region
The new snow in Pamporovo is about 15 cm, and the total snow cover in the resort is nearly 70 cm, the Mountain Rescue Service of the Bulgarian Red Cross announced.
The movement of trucks with trailers and semi-trailers through the Prevala and Rozhen passes is temporarily restricted, the Regional Road Administration (RDA) in Smolyan reminds. Machines are clearing and processing the roads in the Smolyan region after new snow fell overnight. The roads in the area are wet and slippery.
An orange and yellow code for snow and rain has been declared in Smolyan district for today.
Sofia
Anti-icing treatments of the street network have begun in Sofia after the snowfall, the Sofia Municipality announced. The first activities started at 5:30 a.m. in the "Pancharevo" area, and subsequently covered the "Vitosha", "Kremikovtsi" and "Iskar" areas.
Priority is being given to the streets on which public transport operates, as well as the municipal roads to the settlements of Plana, Zheleznitsa and Pasarel. In the "Kremikovtsi" area The roads to Seslavtsi, Buhovo, Zhelyava, Yana, Gorni and Dolni Bogrov, "Botunets", Chelopechene and "Vrazhdebna" are also being treated.
Around 70 snow removal machines are treating Sofia with anti-icing mixtures and pushing snow mass due to the intense snowfall. The equipment is working on the territory of the regions "Ovcha Kupel", "Vitosha", "Lyulin", "Serdika", "Kremikovtsi", "Ilinden", "Mladost", Bankya, "Sredets", Novi Iskar and "Nadezhda", as well as on the municipal road network.
The first activities began at 5:30 a.m. on the territory of the Pancharevo region. The streets on which public transport operates are being treated, as well as the municipal roads to the settlements of Plana, Zheleznitsa and Pasarel.
In the Kremikovtsi region, the roads to Seslavtsi, Buhovo, Zheleznitsa, Yana, Gorni and Dolni Bogrov, Botunets, Chelopechene and Vrazhdebna are being treated. Activities to treat the street network are also being carried out in the Studentski, Krasno Selo, Mladost and Lyulin regions.
In the "Vitosha" Nature Park, sandblasting and snow removal activities continue due to heavy snowfall on the two roads "Dragalevtsi – Aleko“ and "Boyana – Zlatnite Mostove”. Routes to the mountain are operated by lines 61 and 63. Until the work is completed, traffic on line 66 has been suspended.
Buses from line №63 do not reach their final destination and turn to the Byalata Cheshma area. For a short time, line number 9, around the route of "Vasil Levski" Blvd. was stopped. A video also appeared on social networks, showing passengers pushing a public transport bus. The Urban Mobility Center indicates that it is operating on winter time. Delays are also possible.
The RIA announced that traffic on road II-82 Sofia - Samokov in the area of "Zlatna Ribka" has already been restored.