After the warmest winter on record, Slovenia was taken by surprise on Monday. Morning rain turned into heavy snow throughout the country by the afternoon, causing major traffic problems on many main roads in the country and congestion in city centres.
The northern region of Gorenjsko has been hit the hardest. Snow chains are mandatory for all vehicles on the Vrsic, Ljubelj and Jezersko mountain passes, with lorries and buses banned from Jezersko and Vrsic altogether. Due to the unexpected burst of snow, the police asked drivers to drive cautiously, as the heavy snowfall has already caused dozens of traffic accidents. While snowfall in March is not something extraordinary, the past weeks with exceptionally high temperatures of up to 20 degrees indeed are, Slovenia's Environmental Agency said. The snow is expected to gradually stop falling during the night, the agency also said.