The southern Bulgarian town of Zlatograd is ready to be evacuated due to heavy downpours, while other parts of the country remain under Code Orange because of the severe winter conditions.

The remote municipalities of Zlatograd and Nedelino in the southern Smolyan Region declared emergency already on Sunday, after rain and melting snow caused overflowing of rivers and reservoirs.

The level at the surface of the local Varbitsa river has risen drastically, while dozens of houses in Nedelino have been reported flooded, dnevnik.bg informs.

The southern Bulgarian municipalities of Kardzhali and Smolyan are under code red, as meteorologists have warned that floods are very likely to occur in the Rhodope region during the day.

The whole of western Bulgaria is under Code Orange, while most of the eastern part of the country is under Code yellow, as heavy snowfalls continue. Extremely low temperatures are to persist until Wednesday.