A powerful storm with heavy rain and gale-force winds swept through parts of northern Serbia, including Vojvodina and Belgrade, on Monday afternoon, causing property damage and injuring at least eight people, authorities said.
The storm began shortly after 1 p.m., bringing strong winds, torrential rainfall, and hail in some areas. The Serbian Hydrometeorological Service issued an orange alert for severe weather, warning of thunderstorms, large hail, and strong wind gusts. The Ministry of Interior also issued a storm warning.
“The cold and moist air mass arrived from the west after several hot days, bringing instability,” Goran Mihajlović of the national meteorological institute told public broadcaster RTS. “The system first hit Bačka, then Srem and parts of Banat, with intense downpours and storm-force winds.”
In Belgrade, the storm caused widespread disruption. A construction crane collapsed in New Belgrade, sheet metal was blown off rooftops near Zeleni Venac, and a traffic light was toppled on Woodrow Wilson Boulevard.
Several inbound flights to Nikola Tesla Airport were diverted. Fallen trees damaged cars and blocked roads, and one tree halted tram service near the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.
Parts of Zemun and Voždovac were left without electricity, and the storm affected several water wells and pumping stations. Belgrade Waterworks said 30 crews were working in the field, and water supply had been maintained citywide.
Eight people were injured in the capital, according to emergency services. Six were treated at Zemun Clinical Center, and two at the Emergency Center, RTS reported.