After temperatures soared above 40 degrees Celsius, North Macedonia’s capital city Skopje was struck by a powerful rainstorm on the afternoon of July 18, causing significant interruptions in electricity supply and extensive damage in various parts of the city.

The storm brought with it strong winds, heavy rain and hail, leading to widespread disruption.

The rainstorm resulted in a power outage in Aerodrom municipality area, leaving over 100,000 citizens without electricity for approximately 20 minutes initially.

Shortly after electricity was restored, further interruptions were reported in the area of Aerodrom municipality.

Dozens of high-rise buildings were also left without electricity, and lifts were turned off, affecting tens of thousands of residents.

The storm also caused traffic chaos, with traffic lights out and pedestrians struggling to navigate the rush of cars. Several trees fell on top of vehicles, adding to the damage.

The Hydrometeorological Institute of North Macedonia forecasts continued volatile weather with the potential for more severe storms, which may lead to additional power outages and infrastructure challenges in Skopje, Lider.mk reported.

Meanwhile, North Macedonia is among several Southeast European countries battling wildfires amid a relentless heatwave. The rains that hit Bitola this evening were insufficient to fully extinguish the fire that broke out in a recreation area in the southern city. Although the fire has subsided, it still poses a threat to the pine forest in Pellister National Park.

The fire on Mount Serta remains the most critical. In response to the escalating crisis, the government has declared a state of emergency and instituted a complete ban on movement in forests and forest lands managed by the state company National Forests, effective from July 15.

Several Balkan countries, including Slovenia, Turkey, Serbia, Montenegro and Romania, have sent assistance to help extinguish the fires in North Macedonia.