Code Orange Issued in 12 Bulgaria Districts over Bad Weather

A code orange warning has been issued by authorities in twelve Bulgaria districts as Southern and Eastern Bulgaria have seen heavy downpours in the past 24 hours.

The districts affected are Silistra, Dobrich, Shumen and Varna (in the north-east), Burgas and Yambol (south-east), Haskovo, Kardzhali, Smolyan, Plovdiv, Pazardzhik (south) and Blagoevgrad (southwestern Bulgaria).

In Bulgaria's capital Sofia and various other districts in the north-west including Vratsa, Montana and Lovech, rains and wet snow caused by sub-zero temperatures have triggered code-yellow warnings.

River levels are expected to go up on Monday both in the north (the Danubean region) and the south (Maritsa, Arda, Mesta and Struma rivers).

An operative unit at the Environment Ministry has been formed standing ready to act to mitigate the risk of floods and other disasters. Its teams will work around the clock, even on holidays, officials say.

Severe weather conditions, however, are not expected to last after Tuesday, and meteorologists say days around the Orthodox Easter holidays will be mostly sunny.