Danube, Sava Fall Below Navigable Levels as Heat Returns
Serbia's weather service warns the Danube, Sava and Tisa will stay below low navigable levels through August 17, river water is warmer than average, and 35 degree heat returns Sunday.
How far has the Danube actually dropped? At Bezdan, the water level is running in negative numbers, and the forecast from Serbia’s Republic Hydrometeorological Institute (RHMZ) for August 13 to 17 says it stays that way. On top of that, heat near and above 35 degrees Celsius returns from Sunday.
A few days ago we wrote that the heat would ease off by Saturday. That still holds, but only through Saturday. In the meantime RHMZ issued two more warnings, hydrological and agrometeorological, and they change the picture for this week.
What the forecast says for today and the weekend
Most of Serbia sees sunshine today, while the east and southeast stay partly cloudy. “Later in the day, isolated short showers or downpours are possible in the southeastern regions,” RHMZ says in its forecast for August 13. Morning temperatures range from 12 to 20 degrees, daytime highs from 28 to 32, and around 31 degrees in Belgrade.
Through Saturday, August 15, maximum temperatures stay mostly between 30 and 34 degrees. From Friday, August 14, the southeastern Kosava wind picks up across the areas it typically affects. After the weekend, values climb to around and above 35 degrees, making Saturday the last day of the break.
Rivers running below low navigable levels
The hydrological warning is specific: water levels on the Danube, Sava and on the Tisa near Titel will run below low navigable levels over the coming days. Readings taken on August 13 look like this:
- Danube at Bezdan, minus 139 to minus 156 centimeters
- Danube at Zemun, 170 to 176 centimeters
- Danube at Smederevo, 418 to 426 centimeters
- Sava at Sabac, minus 97 to minus 115 centimeters
- Sava in Belgrade, 128 to 134 centimeters
- Tisa at Novi Knezevac, 125 to 127, and at Senta 201 to 203 centimeters
On the Kolubara and its tributaries, on the Toplica and Vlasina, as well as on the Black and White Timok, flows have dropped close to the minimum average monthly values, in other words the biological minimum. No flood defense has been declared anywhere this summer. “Regular flood defense is declared when the water level on a river reaches the prescribed threshold,” the institute’s hydrological report states.
River water is warmer than usual
Measurements from August 13 show the Danube at around 26.7 degrees, the Sava at about 27.5, the Tisa at about 28, the Velika Morava at about 24.3, and the Banat watercourses at about 29 degrees. RHMZ says that is above the average water temperature for this time of year.
For anyone planning a river swim this weekend, that is worth knowing before heading out. Water at 28 degrees does not cool the body the way a river is expected to, so the sense of refreshment fades much faster than it does at the seaside.
Drought hits northern Serbia hardest
The agrometeorological warning is the sharpest of the three. RHMZ reports extreme drought accompanied by a prolonged heatwave, with the worst impact expected in northern Serbia, where field crops are in the critical grain filling stage. The result is heat stress, premature ripening, and falling yields of corn and soybeans.
Farmers are advised to irrigate only during nighttime hours and to stay alert to the risk of wildfires on parched fields. The rainfall deficit combined with high temperatures keeps the risk of fires starting and spreading in the open elevated, with an adverse impact on public health, critical infrastructure, transport, tourism and agriculture.
The practical takeaway for the next five days is simple. Saturday is the last day with bearable highs, from Sunday outdoor plans shift to early morning or after 6 p.m., and this August the river is not the cooldown it usually is.
