FLOODS AT THE END OF OCTOBER AND IN THE BEGINNING OF NOVEMBER 2012

Abstract

After a long drought in Slovenia, which lasted from autumn 2011 until the end of September 2012, first heavy rains occurred in Slovenia towards the end of October 2012. In the areas with the largest amount of rainfall, the rivers rose and in some places overflowed and flooded their banks. The situation was the worst on 27 and 28 October 2012 in the Vipava river basin. The next rainfall, which captured Slovenia a week later, on 4 and 5 November, resulted in the overflowing of streams almost everywhere in Slovenia. Extensive flooding affected the areas of the Drava, Mislinja, Upper Savinja, Soča, Sava Bohinjka and Sava Dolinka rivers. The flood on the Drava River was the worst due to increased inflow from neighbouring Austria in the morning of 5 November 2012. The Drava dramatically increased and flooded especially in its lower stream in Slovenia. Damage caused by 4 and 5 November floods is the heaviest damage caused by natural disasters in the history of Slovenian independence.