Snow, Icy Conditions and Snowdrifts: Road Situation Remains Complicated

Heavy snowfall caused serious disruption to traffic in Sofia, prompting police to urge residents not to use their cars unless absolutely necessary. Nationwide, the only road to be completely closed for a time was the Knezha–Oryahovo route, due to severely reduced visibility. Despite snowdrifts, high mountain passes remained open under winter conditions. The movement of heavy goods vehicles was restricted on the Varna–Dobrich road. Temperatures across the country are expected to fall well below zero overnight.

A total of 489 snowploughs are clearing the national road network. Roads are being treated with anti-icing materials, as low temperatures and the easing of snowfall increase the risk of black ice. Drivers are urged to exercise caution, particularly in mountainous areas. Earlier in the day, the road between Veliko Tarnovo and Pavlikeni was briefly closed after a lorry overturned.

Heavy snowfall also led to restrictions on lorries along the Varna–Dobrich route until snow clearance was completed. Authorities warned that further road closures may be imposed in areas affected by strong winds, drifting snow or poor visibility.

The most significant disruption throughout the day was caused by a thin layer of snow in the capital. Early in the morning, public transport was affected, with buses and trolleybuses running late for much of the day. Traffic police again advised Sofia residents to avoid driving. By the afternoon, 30 minor road accidents had been recorded, all involving only material damage and no injuries.

Uncleared pavements in the capital resulted in 80 people — both young and elderly — being treated at Pirogov Hospital. Seventeen of them remain in hospital and require surgery.

Most pavements adjacent to residential buildings are the responsibility of residents to clear, but this is often neglected, leaving ice in place until it melts naturally.

"Well, we have to clean, but I left at 5, 30 for work, when to clean.

Do you have a schedule?

There is!"

"Did you clean in front of the shop?

Yeah , no one else - me!"

While residents are responsible for pavements outside their homes, municipal areas fall under the remit of Sofia City Hall. For example, the stairs of the underpass at Orlov Most remained uncleared throughout the day, making conditions hazardous for pedestrians.

“It’s very difficult to get around anywhere — unfortunately, Sofia has once again not been properly cleared.”

The snowfall also worsened the morning traffic jams, which in turn heightened tensions among some drivers. A physical altercation broke out on Kliment Ohridski Boulevard, where a driver who was in breach of traffic rules brandished a baton in an attempted confrontation. In some parts of the city, motorists were stuck in traffic for hours.

"Huge traffic jam from "Nadezhda" to "Mladost "2 for two hours."

Traffic police reported 30 minor accidents during the day.

“Additional police teams were deployed throughout the day to assist and regulate traffic on the busiest sections and on secondary and tertiary streets, where serious difficulties were caused by the accumulated snow,” said Georgi Mitev from Sofia’s Traffic Police Department.

A total of 109 snowploughs were deployed to clear Sofia’s streets. Early in the morning, one snowplough caught fire near Voluyak. Later in the day, machines moved into smaller streets, although many of them remained uncleared, as has often been the case in previous winters.

In the late afternoon, Electricity Distribution West reported power outages affecting three settlements in the Kyustendil and Pleven regions, leaving 509 customers without electricity. Later, however, the Ministry of Energy announced that power supply had been fully restored nationwide, with no settlements left without electricity.