Weather in Serbia has improved significantly over the last seven days. Temperatures, bottoming out at -23 °C (-9 °F) on Monday, have gone up to more acceptable values, with daily lows now at -10 °C (14 °F). There is still a significant amount of snow on higher mountains – up to 1.5 meters (5 ft.) – but it has been melting away elsewhere.
However, a new problem has arisen – all Serbian rivers are now covered with a thick layer of snow and ice. An official ban on river traffic has been instated at the beginning of February, but there is no certainty as to when it might be revoked. Mr. Zoran Netković, general manager of a local water transportation company, said in an interview to The Global Warming Foundation that these conditions have caused great material damage to the industry. “According to some estimations, which should be accepted with caution, all losses of the Serbian industry could reach up to half a billion euros, all due to the great amount of snow and low temperatures”, Mr. Netković told us. He also said that the situation is affecting many companies related to transportation of goods, including factories that build the products exported by means of water transportation.
The state of Serbian rivers is very much unexpected. “Such situations are unusual in the region and river traffic bans because of ice and icebergs are rarely seen. This situation is often compared to the cold and snowy winter of 1984”, added Mr. Netković. “Problems with floating ice are yet to occur. If the snow starts melting rapidly in upper parts of the Danube, the things could become critical regarding floods, as well as river traffic”.
Most Serbian schools will re-open today, while 3.5 thousand people remain cut off by snow. Although that is a huge improvement over the last week, the families in question are running out of food and medicines. We have seen some conflicting information in local media regarding the death toll; according to the latest confirmed reports, 22 people have died, while search and rescue operations continue.
