ABUNDANT RAINFALL IN 2002

Abstract

Although major floods occurred all over Europe in the summer of 2002, there were fortunately no such problems in Slovenia. The summer of 2002 saw several storm events that caused damage due to flash floods, lightning strokes, hail and wind gusts. 12 heavy storm situations were observed in the period from June to September 2002 (Table 1). Two main reasons for the strong convective processes were cold front passages and cold air in the upper troposphere. Heavy rain was more frequent in the western part of the country, while hail was more frequently observed in the inner part of the country (Figures 1 and 2). Storms caused damage all over the country. Numerous floods, torrents and landslides caused by heavy rainfall were reported. Some fires were caused by strokes of lightning during storms. Hail and wind gust events were not so frequent, but nevertheless caused a lot of material damage.