VIDEO: Heavy rains flood Dalmatia, Dubrovnik worst hit

A change in the weather has affected much of the country on Monday, but heavy rainfall has caused the most problems in Dalmatia.

Streets in Zadar, Makarska, Split, and Dubrovnik have been flooded.

Severe weather with heavy rain and downpours struck the Dubrovnik-Neretva County today, causing flash floods.

The Mayor of Dubrovnik, Mato Franković, urged residents to stay indoors during the storm.

The county’s fire chief, Stjepan Simović, noted that by 1 pm, firefighters in Dubrovnik had responded to over thirty incidents.

“All firefighters are out in the field. In the Neretva Valley, we’ve had around twenty interventions. This morning, there were four incidents on Korčula and Pelješac, and two in the Dubrovnik coastal area. The situation in Župa Dubrovačka and Konavle is calmer.

This will continue for a while. Heavy rain always causes problems with flash floods. People should avoid driving as there are significant traffic jams, which are making our interventions more difficult,” said Simović.

Due to the large amount of rainfall, Stradun and several city roads in Dubrovnik have been flooded, and landslides have been reported along the Adriatic Highway.

Tourists, however, seem unbothered by the fact that Stradun is underwater, as they walk through the deep water, according to Dubrovački vjesnik.

The Mayor of Dubrovnik, Mato Franković, took to social media to ask residents to stay indoors.

“The current extreme amount of rainfall has flooded nearly all the streets in the city. All emergency services are on the ground. Unfortunately, this isn’t the end. According to forecasts, we expect extreme amounts of rainfall between 3 pm and 11 pm, which will cause numerous problems, so I urge all citizens to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary,” Franković emphasised, also advising residents to protect their property.

Emergency services are doing everything they can to help pump water from properties, but with such extreme conditions, it is impossible to fully resolve the issue of flash flooding, he added.

The Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service has issued an orange warning for the Dubrovnik area due to thunderstorms, heavy rain, and strong winds, which is in effect until midnight.

Ferry services on the Dubrovnik-Elafiti and Ploče-Trpanj routes, as well as the catamaran service between Dubrovnik and Split, have been suspended.

More photos here

Flooded streets in Makarska

A rainstorm with heavy downpours also hit the Makarska area this morning, where 52 litres of rain per square metre fell within thirty minutes, according to the Osejava Meteorological Station.