The country bordering Serbia has been warned; "This is just a prelude..."

"We are talking about an area of ​​reduced air pressure, a cyclone that is moving over our part of Europe, bringing a significant change in weather. On the one hand, warm air is coming, on the other hand, it is colder from the north and northwest of Europe. The air masses are mixing, and because of this, we will have the rest of the day, and we have already had heavy rainfall in some places," announced the Croatian meteorologist.

He adds that, for example, in the last 24 hours, the most rain fell in the area of ​​Gorski kotar and the northern Adriatic.

According to the official data of DHMZ, he says, more than 50 liters, and the highest in Crni lug and Risnjak with about 72 liters per square meter.

"According to some unofficial measurements, more than 100 liters per square meter fell in the area of ​​Bujština, that's why there were already reports of occasional floods," Vakula said.

Sea leeches are an unusual phenomenon

After that, he referred to the numerous leeches that appeared in the Zadar and Šibenik areas, explaining that this was not an unusual occurrence.

"We can say that those areas were with many leeches, we do not know their number. Namely, there is no person who has seen them all. Leeches are small tornadoes that arise, among other things, due to the sudden arrival of cold air on a heated surface and the mixing of warm and cold air creates a vortex. So, we have had them before, we have them now, and we will have them in the future. The only problem is how often we have seen them, especially in the Adriatic. What people also mention, at least in conversations, I hear that leeches are found only in the Adriatic. It is not true. They also occur in the interior of Croatia. There is also a tornado in Sisak, which was recorded by Andrija Mohorovičić'', a well-known meteorologist pointed out.

80 liters per square meter

He states that it is a phenomenon that occurs especially in summer, when cold air arrives.

However, he adds, everything that has happened so far with the weather is just a prelude to what awaits us during the night.

"The main part of the change in the weather, some will say worsening, will happen in the second part of Thursday and on the night of Friday, so we will have the real range and amount of precipitation. I would not be surprised if there were more than 80 liters in many places per square meter, at the same time, additionally, the air temperature is lowered," says Vakula.

He is sure that there will be snow in the Alps, very likely not only in Austria and Italy but also in Slovenia, so he expects that Kredarica will probably turn white on Friday morning.

"Almost certainly, and it is not excluded that with this arrival of cold air, some snowflakes, maybe even snow, will also be in our highest peaks. First of all, I am thinking of Zavižan, and tomorrow during the day and during the weekend maybe also in the Dalmatian mountains'', the meteorologist adds. 

A dangerous storm is coming

It also predicts a storm that will start blowing late in the evening in the northern Adriatic, spreading southward during the next day.

It will be moderately strong, and in some localities even stormy, so it is expected that there will be difficulties in traffic.

"So, on the one hand, wind, heavy precipitation, rain, a drop in temperature. Let's prepare warmer jackets, clothes and shoes, since this cold period will not last just a day or two, but longer. Let's not be surprised if the next two to three days are record low highest daily air temperature for this time of year. In Zagreb, it will be 13 to 14 degrees, which has never happened in the history of measurements," concluded Vakula for Croatian Radio.