UV Index Hits 6 to 7 Across Serbia, Storm Winds Tonight

Is it risky to spend a long stretch of time outdoors today? It is, if the plan involves hours in the sun. Serbia’s Institute of Public Health “Dr Milan Jovanovic Batut” issued a warning this morning for Saturday, September 5: the orange weather alert no longer covers Belgrade alone, and the UV index is high across the entire country today.

In brief

• The orange alert covers Belgrade, Macva County, South Banat County and Bor County
• The hardest hit municipalities: Surcin, Loznica, Vrsac and Negotin
• A yellow alert is in effect across most of the rest of Serbia, with only five places under no warning at all
• The UV index is 6 to 7 on a scale that runs to 11, nationwide
• Northwest winds gusting up to 17 meters per second arrive tonight, along with the first raindrops

Why did the alert expand to three more counties?

A few days ago we wrote about a warning that applied to the capital alone, in an article titled “Belgrade Under Orange Alert, Here’s What Batut Recommends.” Today the picture is wider. Batut has now declared the orange level, the one signaling hazardous weather with a serious health risk, for Macva, South Banat and Bor counties as well, specifically for the municipalities of Surcin, Loznica, Vrsac and Negotin. Most of the rest of Serbia remains under the yellow level, potentially hazardous weather, while only five places in the country are under no warning at all.

The institute specifically warns of heat stress, with young children, pregnant women, older people and those with chronic illnesses facing the greatest risk. That line appears in every warning of this kind, but today there is an extra reason to take it seriously: alongside the orange alert, Batut has for the first time released a nationwide UV index reading, which stands at 6 to 7 today on a scale that runs to 11.

How hot does it actually feel

Here the sources diverge. Batut’s warning cites a temperature of up to 36 degrees, while the Republic Hydrometeorological Service (RHMZ) gives a wider range in its daily forecast, from 33 to 37 degrees. For Belgrade the picture is more precise: today’s low is between 17 and 21 degrees, with a high of around 36. For the rest of the country the two sources do not agree on an exact figure, so for now it is more realistic to go by the wider range in RHMZ’s official forecast.

Five steps recommended by Batut

1. Wear light colored, lightweight clothing made of breathable summer fabrics
2. Drink water regularly throughout the day, whether or not you feel thirsty
3. Stay in a cooled space during the hottest part of the day unless you absolutely need to go out
4. If you do have to be outside, keep drinking fluids steadily the whole time
5. Save heavier housework and physical tasks for early morning or late evening

What changes this evening

• Plus: a day that started with sun and heat brings some relief by evening. RHMZ’s daily forecast says Vojvodina can expect “brief cloudiness in the afternoon and evening, with a chance of short rain or showers,” and overnight the change spreads to the rest of Serbia as well.
• Minus: strong wind arrives along with the change. During the day it shifts to the northwest and picks up, with gusts of 10 to 17 meters per second later in the day and into the evening. That is strong enough to carry off light objects and snap branches, so factor it in if you are planning to go out this evening.

What’s next

The relief will not last. RHMZ’s outlook for the next seven days says:

Through the end of the first ten days of September, most days will be mostly sunny and very warm, with maximum temperatures of 30 to 35 degrees.

In other words, a brief change with wind and the occasional shower arrives tonight, but the heat is not retreating before the middle of the month.

Our advice for today: use the morning for anything that has to be done outside, stay in the shade between noon and 5 p.m., carry water if you are heading out, and plan your evening walk with a jacket rather than just a light shirt, because the wind after dark tends to bite harder than it looks from the window.