Orange Weather Alert: 5 Tips for Serbia's Hot Days

Does an orange weather alert mean you should change your plans today? For the second half of the day, yes, especially if you work outdoors, have a weekend house in the countryside, or were planning a trip into nature.

The Republic Hydrometeorological Institute of Serbia (RHMZ) issued a warning this morning at 7:09 a.m. for extreme conditions that favor the start and spread of open air fires, in effect from August 7 to 9. The orange alert covers the entire territory of Serbia, with a thunderstorm warning attached, while the northern part of the country is also under a warning for strong wind gusts.

When we wrote about the peak of the heatwave and the question of when relief would arrive, the answer was that a change comes by the end of the week. Now it is clear what that change actually brings. Relief is not arriving as a quiet rain but as thunder with stormy wind gusts, and that combination is exactly why the warning was issued today.

Why is rain a risk this time, not relief?

Because it is falling on parched ground. The heatwave has lasted since late July, vegetation and soil have been stripped of moisture, and a lightning strike can easily spark a fire. Strong wind afterward speeds up how fast it spreads. That is why RHMZ describes the open air fire risk as high to extreme, even though today’s forecast calls for showers.

What today looks like

• morning and late morning: mostly sunny, light to moderate wind from changing directions
• afternoon and evening: clouds building, brief thunderstorms with showers over up to about 50 percent of the territory
• wind shifting north and northwest and picking up, strongest in Vojvodina and in thunderstorm zones, where stormy gusts are possible
• lowest daily temperature between 15 and 25 degrees, highest between 34 and 37

Belgrade is expecting around 37 degrees today, Nis around 36. Other major cities will see similarly hot conditions, with the same chance of afternoon and evening thunderstorms.

How difficult the nights have become is clear from this morning’s 7 a.m. readings. Belgrade was the warmest city in the country at 26 degrees, Palic, Sombor and Zrenjanin each recorded 25, and Sjenica recorded 13.

Five steps you can take this morning

1. Cancel any burning of weeds, stubble or branches. That is currently the most common way an out of control fire starts.
2. If you have a house or weekend cottage outside town, clear dry branches, cut grass and firewood away from walls and fences. A buffer of a few meters around the building changes the outcome.
3. Push outdoor chores to before 10 a.m. or after 5 p.m. If you have to be in the sun in between, drink water before you feel thirsty.
4. Before the afternoon thunderstorms, bring in umbrellas, awnings and garden furniture from the terrace. A stormy gust can lift them and throw them onto a neighbor’s car.
5. If you are driving through the storm, expect softened asphalt and sharply reduced visibility. The first minutes of rain on overheated pavement are the most slippery.

Children, older adults, pregnant women, people with chronic illnesses and outdoor workers struggle most with a stretch of days like this, because heat stress builds up and after a week of high temperatures the body has nothing left to draw on.

What do the weekend and next week bring?

The weekend brings a break, but a short one. On Saturday and Sunday, August 8 and 9, showers will be localized and expected mainly in the hilly and mountainous areas of southwestern, southern and eastern Serbia, with the highest daily temperature dropping to 32 to 36 degrees.

From Monday, August 10, temperatures rise again. Daily highs will reach 34 to 39 degrees, 36 to 38 in Belgrade, with tropical nights throughout the period. The wildfire risk does not ease with that shift, it carries over into the following week.

Our advice: if you had a weekend in nature planned, save the barbecue and campfire for another time, and pack more water in the car than you think you will need.