Burgas region is under an orange warning for dangerously strong wind today, Friday 13 November, the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (NIMH) says. The same applies to Varna, Dobrich and Yambol. Vratsa region has a red warning, the highest level.
The forecast on Thursday already predicted stormy wind along the Black Sea coast, while thermometers in Veliko Tarnovo showed 26 degrees.
The story so far: Stormy wind along the Black Sea coast on Friday, over 25 degrees in many places
NIMH has issued strong wind warnings for almost all of Bulgaria. Sofia is under a yellow warning, with gusts of around 90 km/h, but the storm hit the capital during the night.
By morning, Sofia municipality had received 120 reports of fallen trees, 15 of toppled fence panels and 3 of damaged traffic lights. The municipality says no one was hurt.
In the Strelbishte and Dragalevtsi districts, trees fell on parked cars. In Ovcha Kupel, a gust threw a trampoline onto a car. In Studentski Grad, a piece of plaster fell off a dormitory, and insulation peeled off a residential building. The wind also knocked down and tilted construction fences and pushed over containers, which have since been put back in place.
Traffic in Malo Buchino was stopped after a roof fell onto the road. Trams on Tsar Boris III boulevard also stopped for a time because of fallen trees.
Crews have cleared the trees along the routes of buses 107 and 59, and buses and trams are running again. There are delays, but the municipality says they are normal in such weather. Display boards at stops show delays caused by fallen trees, a BTA reporter saw.
Tram 11 from Ovcha Kupel is still on a changed route. It runs along Tsar Boris III boulevard and serves Knyazhevo and Iliyantsi. Buses to Vitosha are suspended and will start again when the weather calms and there is no risk to passengers.
Eight teams from the Emergency Aid and Prevention directorate and one duty officer are out in the field, the directorate's head, Maria Teneva, told BNR. They are working with the Sofia Fire Safety and Civil Protection directorate, and the Sofia Inspectorate has provided its own teams and companies.
"We are dealing with the priority reports in the central part, main streets and arteries, so that people can get to work, kindergartens and schools without trouble," Teneva said. The 112 emergency line has received many reports, but so far there are none of damaged cars, she added.
The emergency teams, who are monitoring the situation, check every new report.
The municipality called on owners and contractors of building sites to check fences and panels and make them safe. Flower pots and anything loose on balconies and terraces must also be brought inside. People should not stand or walk under trees, next to construction fences, scaffolding and unstable structures.
The municipality asks people not to park under trees or next to old and unstable buildings, and to go outside only if they need to. People should not go into Vitosha Nature Park because of the risk of falling trees and branches.
Fallen trees, dangerous objects and broken cables should be reported to 112, and people should not try to move hazards by hand.
Hourly forecast and the days ahead: Weather in Burgas →