The storm was accompanied by hailstones, which briefly created small piles of ice on Sofia streets - the first time this year after a warm winter in which snow was a rare occurence in the city. Photo by Kameliya Atanasova (Sofia Photo Agency)
Torrential rains hit Sofia on Saturday, turning most of the city's streets into deep, impassable rivers.
The heavy rainfall came as a huge surprise to the Sofia citizens, who did not expect it after the whole day was hot and sunny and there were no clouds whatsoever to hide the summer sky.
Many cars were stuck on the streets, which caused traffic jams on the main Sofia boulevards even on the weekend. The rain came with a loud thunderstorm that managed to cut off electricity in several Sofia districts.
Despite the rains, the meteorologists said week the mercury will hit 40C.