Hurricane-Force Winds Disrupt Flights, Fell Trees, Claim Life

Kaloyan Kirilov

Wind causing damage to property, Sofia, January 3, 2025 (BTA Photo/Hristo Kasabov)

Sofia,

04.01.2026 20:28

(BTA)

Hurricane-force winds swept across parts of Bulgaria over the weekend, causing damage, disrupting travel and prompting a string of safety warnings and emergency measures, while a 31-year-old woman died after a tree fell on a moving car in Vitosha Mountain.

In Vratsa, Mayor Kalin Kamenov said on Facebook that overnight gusts topped 120 km/h, bringing down utility poles and cables, bus stops and trees and leaving parts of the town without electricity. “I urge all residents to stay at home until the situation calms down. Conditions outside are extremely dangerous,” he wrote as municipal teams worked to remove and secure torn cables and power lines. Later on Saturday, Chief Commissioner Alexander Dzhartov, Director of the General Directorate for Fire Safety and Civil Protection, said the service had received four reports of fallen trees and collapsed structural elements in Vratsa. The municipal administration later reported that the situation in the town had returned to normal, though strong gusts persisted; the village of Beli Izvor remained without electricity and Bistrets and Chiren were partially without power, with reports of fallen poles and trees, overturned waste containers, a damaged public transport stop and damaged holiday decorations.

Authorities issued public advice for the strong-wind warning, urging people to avoid staying outdoors due to the risk of falling objects and to seek safe shelter in a public building or an underpass. Residents were advised to secure doors and windows at home and, if travelling, to stop vehicles in open areas away from power lines and trees until the danger passes, while those in the mountains were told to move to lower ground.

Sofia Municipality reported dozens of wind-related calls, including fallen branches and trees as well as fences at construction sites being blown down. The Interior Ministry reported the fatal incident on Vitosha, and Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev said he had ordered additional checks in risk areas and increased monitoring.

On Sunday, the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology issued a yellow-code warning for strong winds in 16 regions, forecasting gusts of up to 90 km/h and warning of up to 10 cm of snow cover and icy roads in Vidin and Montana. The Mountain Rescue Service of the Bulgarian Red Cross warned that conditions for high-altitude tourism were unfavourable, citing strong winds, melting snow due to unusually warm weather and fog in the highest parts; it advised against going above the forest belt and urged hikers to be well equipped and to watch for rising avalanche risk as temperatures climb.

Sofia Municipality temporarily closed the two main roads leading to Vitosha in the directions of Aleko and Zlatnite Mostove as a preventive measure, citing a real risk to traffic safety and to people staying in the mountain, and urged tourists to refrain from travelling to Vitosha.

Air traffic was also affected. Vasil Levski Sofia Airport said strong winds forced it to divert seven arriving flights and cancel three departures. The disruption began after 1:00 a.m., with diverted aircraft routed to Belgrade, Budapest, Varna and Plovdiv. The first diverted flight was a flydubai service from Dubai, which landed in Belgrade. Cancelled departures from Sofia were to London (Stansted), Zurich and Frankfurt.

In Borovets, fallen trees caused serious damage to three cars in the resort complex, according to Municipal Enterprise Construction, Repair and Landscaping Director Nikolay Stoynov. No one was injured, and tourists were taken from Sitnyakovo lift station down to the resort and moved to safety. Stoynov said one bungalow was crushed and the roofs of some outbuildings were torn off, with dozens of trees falling across an area of about 0.2 hectares. Samokov Mayor Angel Dzhorgov activated the BG-ALERT system and the resort’s ski slopes were closed, while municipal teams, the municipal forestry service and the emergency unit continued clearing operations, expected to continue the following day.

/КТ/