Snowfall Sweeps Shipka Pass: Tourists Advised Caution Amidst Weather Warnings
Today, the iconic "Shipka" pass finds itself enveloped in a blanket of snow, with temperatures plummeting to minus 3 degrees Celsius
The situation following days of heavy snowfall across Bulgaria is improving, though river levels remain high, the country's Environment Minister Ivelina Vasileva has said.
After the snow left hundreds of villages across Bulgaria blocked and without electricity supply, all institutions are ready to act in case of a new emergency situation, Vasileva told private national NOVA TV channel.
"Climate is changing and we have to be prepared for possible consequences," Vasileva noted. She added there was no risk of floods despite high river levels in the south of Bulgaria, where towns and villages on both banks of the Arda, Tundzha and Maritsa rivers have been on high alert.
But in many southern locations, in the Smolyan region, electricity supply is unlikely to be renewed before late next week. EVN is the power distributor operating there, and workers are seeking to repair the damages that the heavy snow caused to the power grid. As many as 120 employees have been sent across the most affected regions to help clean up major roads and minor ones leading into the blocked villages.
For some of the four hundred towns and villages, Thursday is the sixth day since they the snowfall sealed them off from the rest of the world. In many of them, locals are finding it either impossible or very difficult to use their mobile phones.
On Thursday, the opposition blamed Deputy PM Meglena Kuneva and Minister Vasileva during a Parliament hearing for failing to adopt the necessary measures to avoid the present developments.
Kuneva, however, explained such harsh weather conditions had not been observed in March, as spring is supposedly coming, in the last fifty years.
Severe weather has recently claimed two lives, just a day after an avalanche killed three snowboarders who had tried to slide outside marked ski runs in the Pirin mountain despite warnings.
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Over the next 24 hours, a cold front will move across the country, bringing mostly cloudy skies and widespread rain
During the night, showers are expected in some areas, primarily in the western and northern regions, while the rest of the country will experience clearing skies
During the night, cloud cover will increase and thicken, with showers expected to develop from the southwest
Tomorrow, Bulgarians can expect a mix of sunshine and clouds as they step out into the springtime air
Over the next 24 hours, expect cloudy skies with rainfall across the eastern half of the country, where precipitation may be intense in some areas. Meanwhile, the western half will see clouds clearing during the day, becoming mostly sunny
Overnight, rainfall across the country will temporarily cease, with some areas experiencing breaks in the clouds
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