Czechs face extreme rains and flooding over next few days

PRAGUE (Reuters) – The Czech Republic is facing extreme rains and flooding across central and eastern parts of the country, with rainfall over the next four days potentially reaching more than a third of annual rainfall in some areas, weather forecasters said on Wednesday.

A low-pressure area and a cold front over central and eastern Europe will affect weather across central and eastern Czech Republic, as well as parts of Austria, Poland and Slovakia, the forecasters said.

The rainfall and high winds were expected to peak on Saturday.

“These are really extreme rainfalls that may come to the Czech territory,” Environment Minister Petr Hladik told a news conference.

He said strong winds may fell trees, threatening lives and property.

“There will be saturation of soil, forests, and flash floods may appear in places where they are not normally expected.”

Water management authorities are releasing water from river dams to create retention capacity, Agriculture Minister Marek Vybory said, and regional and local authorities have been asked to prepare for anti-flood measures.

He said the situation had forced the Czech authorities to reject a German request to reduce water discharge through the Elbe river, which Germany asked for after a road bridge collapsed in Dresden.

The most intensive rainfall, around 400 millimetres and high winds were expected in the north-eastern Jeseniky mountains, but most of the country east of Prague was exposed to the highest, extreme risk rain warning, the Czech weather institute said.

A lower rainfall and flood warning was issued for Prague, which suffered catastrophic floods in 2002, and western parts of the country.

The Czech Republic is drained mainly by the basins of the Elbe in the west and north, flowing to Germany and the North Sea, and the Danube basin in the east. Part of the Jeseniky and north-east are drained by the Odra river flowing to Poland.

Austria has issued a lower, orange, warning for rain in central and northern parts of the country.

Slovakia has also warned of heavy rain and storms in the coming days, while Polish authorities said southern Poland could see heavy rainfall and flooding risks.