SARAJEVO, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA — Stormy winds, rain and snow closed schools on Friday in parts of Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia. The weather left thousands of people without electricity and caused traffic delays and blocked roads throughout the Balkan region.
Wind speeds reached 141 kph (87 mph) in some areas of northern and north-western Slovenia, where authorities issued weather alerts for dozens of municipalities. A number of roads in the region were blocked by fallen trees, and emergency crews worked through the night to clear debris from roads.
More than 15,000 people were left without electricity in northern and north-western Slovenia, according to public broadcaster RTV SLO. The broadcaster also reported snow in some lower parts of southern Slovenia.
The storm system moved through Croatia beginning Thursday afternoon. Stormy winds swept through Zagreb on Thursday afternoon and overnight, uprooting trees and damaging tram lines and roofs. Fallen trees blocked streets and damaged parked cars in the capital city.
Authorities in Croatia suspended classes on Friday in primary and secondary schools due to bad weather. Meteorologist Petra Mikus Jurković reported that wind occasionally reached up to 120 kph (74 mph). "Such lasting, strong, stormy wind is not common for the Zagreb area," Jurković said.
Snowy conditions and winds led to frequent traffic accidents in northwestern Croatia, the country's auto-club HAK warned.
In Bosnia, the storm brought similar disruptions. Roads in northwestern Bosnia were closed to heavy vehicles due to snowfall. Local authorities in northwestern Bosnia suspended school classes until the situation improved due to problems with electricity supplies and snow.