EXTREME WEATHER EVENT IN THE TRŽIŠKA BISTRICA RIVER BASIN ON 29 OCTOBER 2018: THE EVENT, THE CONSEQUENCES, AND THE CAUSES

Abstract

The meteorological disaster that occurred on the night of 29-30 October in the area of the Tržiška Bistrica river basin is interesting as an extreme weather event which caused extensive material damage between Tržič and Jelendol. The extent of the consequences of this meteorological disaster reveals the human impact on natural disasters, and the human perception and historical memory of them. The disaster of October 2018 also opened up some new social aspects of nature protection and intensive economically-conditioned use of natural resources, in this case primarily forest. The October disaster was a result of extremely large amounts of precipitation which fell within a few hours in the upper Tržiška Bistrica river basin, while the river and its tributaries carried away large quantities of rock material, timber and other wood deposits from steep slopes above torrents. Historical sources suggest that similar events have taken place before, and that only sustainable forest management and regular torrent control can significantly mitigate their consequences.