By: P.T., STA
A forecasted cold snap that moved in on Tuesday, bringing snowfall to Slovenia, has resulted in road mishaps, closures and detours. The situation is most dire on the Primorska motorway, especially between Postojna and Kozina in the south-west of the country and on local roads in the area.
The latest bout of cold weather has led to long traffic backups on both the coast-bound and Ljubljana-bound lanes of the motorway. The Nanos intersection is currently closed due to truck slides.
A strong bora wind is aggravating the situation in the Vipava Valley, with gusts reaching 90 kilometres per hour.
Trucks have been told to go off the motorway and opt for another route, but this has wreaked havoc on regional routes, Andraž Vidmar of the CPK road maintenance company told the STA.
A total of 15 snow control teams have been dispatched to clear and de-ice the roads, he added.
The Trojane segment on the Ljubljana-bound lane of the Štajerska motorway was also closed until recently due to weather-related congestion.
The national motorway company DARS has warned that winter gear is mandatory for all vehicles in such extreme weather events.
Snowfall in April is nothing out of the ordinary in Slovenia, but this year’s cold spell will be extreme due to low temperatures, meteorologist Andrej Velkavrh told the STA.
Today’s snowfall will be followed by three very cold nights and mornings with temperatures plunging as low as minus ten degrees Celsius, he said, noting the drop posed a risk of spring frost in certain areas.
Snow will persist the longest in the southern part of the central Notranjska region, Kočevje and Bela Krajina in the south-east and in the eastern Dolenjska region. Lowlands in these parts will see up to ten centimetres of snow.
The Environment Agency has issued an orange-coded warning due to snowfall for the south-west of Slovenia and orange-coded warnings due to low temperatures, one for Wednesday that applies to the entire country except for the north-east, and another one for Thursday for the entire country.