HIGH WATERS IN SLOVENIA IN 1999 AND 2000

Abstract

High water levels in Slovene rivers and lakes and high sea levels along the Slovene coast were registered in 1999 and 2000. In 1999 the flooding of rivers and torrents was limited to the usual flood areas. The first high waters occurred in July, especially in southeastern and eastern parts of Slovenia, primarily in small rivers and torrents. Due to the nival water regime, the Drava and Mura rivers also flooded in summer. In autumn, rivers frequently flooded in almost all the characteristic flood areas. High water levels in Slovene rivers and lakes and high sea levels along the Slovene coast were also frequent in 2000. The first high waters occurred in March, and then in July, September and October. In this period the degree of flooding did not exceed the normal yearly floods. In November, rivers flooded frequently, in some places the floods were above average. The main characteristic of the high water situation in November was its long duration. The high water peaks of rivers in some upper parts of catchments in the Julian and Kamnik-Savinja Alps, as well as the water levels in Karst lakes, reached record values in the observed period. Floods in these areas and their consequences were above the long-term average. In the Koritnica valley, a huge landslide caused a disaster in the village of Log pod Mangartom. On the basis of a relatively good weather forecast, the Hydrological Forecasting Service issued a flood warning which proved very useful on this occasion.