Early snowfall damages power lines and snarls traffic in Bosnia and Serbia

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BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Early snowfall in the Western Balkans left thousands of people without electricity on Friday and disrupted traffic as roads became impassable.

Heavy, wet snow fell this week in hilly and mountainous areas in Serbia and Bosnia, downing power distribution lines and trees, while persistent rain in lower areas sparked fears of floods and mudslides.

More than half a meter of snow has fallen at higher altitudes so far and could reach record levels for October, said Slobodan Sovilj, a meteorologist at the state Hydrometeorological Service.

“We have a number of areas without electricity because of broken trees and branches that fell on power lines,” Aleksandar Mitrovic, head of the Ivanjica municipality in central Serbia, said.

The southwestern municipalities of Medvedja and Crna Trava were left also without drinking water and phone connection, officials there said.

Several municipalities in Serbia passed emergency measures to deal with the problems caused by the snow.

In Bosnia, a number of roads were closed Friday because of the snow. Authorities warned drivers to be extra careful and reminded them to switch to winter tires, which are obligatory from Nov. 1.

The Jahorina ski center outside Bosnia’s capital Sarajevo turned white after the snowfall that began Thursday, catching visitors by surprise.

“We came here in flip-flops and now we need boots and jackets,” Sandra Majstorovic, a tourist at the center, said.

Experts say that extreme weather conditions, such as unseasonably hot or cold spells, can be linked to climate change.

In September, the Western Balkans experienced temperatures of up to 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit). Temperatures over the summer surpassed 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) during heat waves.