After 34 degrees, a sharp drop and hail the size of hazelnuts
Serbia's weather service has issued an orange alert for a powerful storm system, with temperatures set to fall from about 34 to around 20 degrees in two days.
- Serbia's weather service RHMZ has issued an orange alert across much of the country for a powerful line of thunderstorms.
- Forecasters warn of hail the size of hazelnuts and storm-force gusts above 60 km/h in the heaviest cells.
- Temperatures drop from about 34 degrees on Wednesday to roughly 20 on Thursday and Friday, a swing of 13 to 14 degrees.
- The weekend brings cool mornings and highs of 22 to 26 degrees, below average, with scattered rain.
Wondering whether it is worth tucking the car into the garage and calling off that day trip? It is, starting today. Serbia’s RHMZ has issued an orange weather alert across most of the country for a powerful storm system, and after a sweltering 34 degrees comes a sudden drop, with hail the size of hazelnuts in places.
This is not the usual afternoon cooldown. A line of thunderstorms will sweep across the country in waves, so the worst weather will not arrive everywhere at once. That is exactly why the timing, and the alerts for your own area, matter.
What kind of storms are coming, and when?
The first cells are expected on Wednesday afternoon over hilly and mountainous areas, where instability builds fastest. The zone of downpours then spreads, and storm-force wind reaches Vojvodina and the lower Drina valley overnight between June 10 and 11.
In the strongest cells, RHMZ is warning of:
- Hail the size of hazelnuts, which can damage cars, roofs and gardens
- Storm-force gusts above 60 km/h, dangerous for awnings, parasols and anything loose on a balcony
- Sudden downpours, enough to flood streets and underpasses within minutes
On Thursday, June 11, the storms shift to central and southern Serbia, bringing a dramatic cooldown. The biggest change will not be the rain but the temperature. From about 34 degrees on Wednesday, the thermometer falls to roughly 20 on Thursday and Friday. That is a 13 to 14 degree swing in just two days, which the body reads as stepping into a different season.
Over the weekend, from June 13 to 15, expect cool mornings and highs between 22 and 26 degrees, below average for this time of year, with scattered rain. After that, conditions should gradually settle.
How to protect your car, balcony and yourself
You do not have to watch the radar all day. Just check the forecast in the morning and keep alerts switched on, since urgent warnings for a specific location usually arrive an hour or two before the storm hits.
Here is our step-by-step plan if you are in the orange-alert zone:
- Move the car into a garage or under cover before the afternoon. No garage? A thick blanket over the hood and roof will soften the impact of hail.
- Clear the balcony and yard. Bring in or firmly secure parasols, loungers and flowerpots, because storm-force wind lifts anything that is not fixed down.
- Drive carefully. In a sudden downpour, slow down, switch on your lights and avoid underpasses that flood quickly.
- Do not shelter under a lone tree during a thunderstorm. Head indoors or into your car instead.
- Check gutters and drains around the house, since a blocked drain is the most common reason water ends up in the basement.
A drop this sharp can easily catch you out with a cold, so keep a light layer handy for morning outings even if the afternoon turns muggy. Sudden swings hit the elderly and small children hardest, so keep an eye on them.
The key is not to panic, but not to ignore the orange alert either. Those few minutes of preparation are often the difference between a quiet afternoon and a dented hood. How do you protect your car and garden when hail is on the way?
