Will longest winter end with floods?

Blasts of strong wind hit the south-west of Slovakia on Sunday and reached as much as 70 kilometres per hour, damaging property, uprooting trees and causing traffic jams. It even caused a bus accident, when a bus was blown off the road by the force of the winds. According to the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute, the wind storm should have eased up on Tuesday and Wednesday. However, this prediction has not come true.

One of the longest winters in the last half century still doesn't want to end. Snowfall and icy winds are not only affecting the economy, but also people's moods, according to Pravda daily. Some experts claim that such a long winter hasn't been seen in Slovakia for at least 30, if not 40 years. According to the long-term forecast, the cold weather should last until the end of March, with a few warmer intervals.

Experts are mainly worried about a sudden thaw. Meteorologist Milan Lapin from Comenius University in Bratislava warns of floods mainly in western and northern Slovakia. After last weekend's serious floods in Cifer, the situation in Malacky, both west Slovak region, Poprad and the surrounding area, in eastern Slovakia, is also giving cause for concern. Poprad mayor Anton Danko says that there is far more snow in the area than last year, and Poprad regularly suffers from flooding in the spring. "We are powerless against nature. We can only try to limit the damage," he said. Meanwhile, according to psychologist Marta Aibekova from a Bratislava telephone helpline, the extended winter is increasing cases of depression and even suicide attempts.