A man walks through a snow covered park
© AP Photo/Darko VojinovicA man walks through a snow covered park in Belgrade, Serbia, Tuesday, April 4, 2023. An unusual occurrence of winter-like weather in spring swept through the Western Balkans Tuesday, bringing snow and gusts that have snarled traffic in the region.
An unusual occurrence of wintry weather in spring swept through the Western Balkans Tuesday, bringing snow and gusts that snarled traffic in the region.

Residents in the capitals of Serbia, Bosnia, and Kosovo woke to the sight of trees and bushes blanketed in snow.

In Croatia and Montenegro, strong winds stopped most ferry lines along the Adriatic Sea coastline and delayed a flight from Montenegro's capital, Podgorica, to Belgrade.

Authorities in Serbia said that a tree branch fell on two teenage girls in Belgrade, apparently brought down by wet and heavy snow. The girls were taken to a hospital as a precaution.

Snow blocked several roads in southern and southwestern Serbia and some villages were left without electricity, police said in a statement, urging caution.


Some flooding of homes and farmland was reported in the southern area as authorities warned more rivers could overflow their banks in coming days.

Fallen tree branches also damaged parked cars in several locations around Belgrade where huge traffic lines clogged roads during the morning rush hour.

Hours earlier, a bus carrying workers for their morning shift slid off a snow-covered road, slightly injuring 18 people, the state RTS television said.

Croatia's state HRT television reported that strong wind "paralyzed" sea traffic while also triggering a ban for all vehicles but small cars on coastal roads.

In Romania, heavy snow swept through most of the country's Carpathian Mountains.