Belgrade Under Orange Alert, Here's What Batut Recommends
Serbia's Institute of Public Health Batut issued an orange weather alert for Belgrade, Macva, South Banat and Bor districts, with temperatures up to 36 degrees Celsius. Here's what doctors recommend.
Planning to spend this afternoon outdoors? If you are in Belgrade, Loznica, Vrsac or Negotin, it is better to push that plan to the evening.
The Institute of Public Health of Serbia, Batut, issued a health weather alert this morning for Saturday, September 5. The orange level, meaning weather conditions are very dangerous to health, applies to the city of Belgrade and to the Macva, South Banat and Bor districts. The Institute names Surcin, Loznica, Vrsac and Negotin as the hardest hit spots, where daytime temperatures reach a category the Institute rates as very dangerous, up to 36 degrees Celsius.
A yellow level, meaning potentially dangerous weather, is in effect across most of the rest of Serbia. Only five locations in the entire country carry no warning at all.
Precision matters here, since outlets are not using identical wording today. Batut, along with Informer and Mondo in the body of their reports, describe an orange level of warning. Blic uses the word “critical” in its headline. The Institute’s official statement mentions only the orange level, and that is the figure this article carries.
Why today carries extra risk
High temperatures are arriving alongside strong sun. Serbia’s Hydrometeorological Institute is forecasting ultraviolet radiation of 6 and 7, on a scale that runs to 11, across the entire country today. That combination, heat stress plus a high UV index, is why the Institute is singling out young children, pregnant women, older people and those with chronic illness for extra caution. Their risk of heatstroke is considerably higher than for a healthy adult.
Five tips for hot days, straight from Batut
- Wear light colored clothing made of lightweight, breathable summer fabric
- Drink water throughout the day. Batut’s guidance calls for “regular rehydration throughout the day, regardless of physical activity”
- Avoid stepping out of air conditioned spaces during the hottest part of the day unless you have to
- If you must go outside, carry a bottle of water and drink from it before you feel thirsty
- Save heavier household chores and physical work for early morning or late evening
What the forecast says for today and tomorrow
Serbia’s Hydrometeorological Institute expects Belgrade’s low today to fall between 17 and 21 degrees, with a high near 36 degrees, alongside a light to moderate south wind. The picture is similar across the rest of the country. “It will be mostly sunny and very hot across Serbia today, with a light to moderate south wind,” the Institute wrote in its forecast for September 5. In the evening and overnight, first in Vojvodina and later in other parts of the country, brief cloud cover and the odd short lived shower are possible, with the wind shifting to the northwest and picking up.
Better news arrives as soon as tomorrow. According to the Hydrometeorological Institute, highs drop to around 30 to 31 degrees on Sunday, September 6, with lows ranging between 15 and 21 degrees. That continues the trend already reported before the weekend, when the Institute forecast highs of up to 37 degrees with real cooling not expected until September 10.
When the orange alert lifts
Until then, the plan is simple. Go out early in the morning or only after seven in the evening, carry water, and make sure children and older family members are never left without fluids and shade during the day. An orange alert is not a reason to panic, but it is a reason to plan today a little differently than usual.
