TIRANA, June 9, 2022 – Albania was hit Thursday by an unusual massive storm that packed torrential rain and lightning for several hours across the country, leading to two deaths and damage to homes and infrastructure.
One man died in Shkodra where his home caught fire after being hit by lightning, and another man died in Vlora where heavy seas dragged him from the shore, according to local media reports.
Tirana saw its Lana River swell so quickly in a flash flood that it flooded its man-made channel to get out in the streets, a very rare occurrence.
Two weeks worth of rain in a few hours
Meteorologists said Albania received half the amount of rain expected for the month in one day, so flash floods were to be expected, especially in the Mat and Osum river valleys. In central Albania, up to 50 millimeters of rain fell.
The silver lining, experts say, is that Albania’s hydro-electric reservoirs in the north received a much needed summer boost in water as an electricity supply crisis threatens the entire region. Albania relies on the HPPs for its entire domestic production of electricity.
Sunny weather is expected to return this weekend.
Climate change at play, experts say
Albania has been warned by several international reports that it is at risk from climate change and destructive events like the one this week are likely to increase in frequency.
Albania regularly suffers from floods, and projections up to 2050 for Albania indicate that flooding events could increase in both frequency and intensity under the influence of climate change, according to a World Bank report on the matter.
Climate extremes in the Western Balkans will pose major risks to agricultural systems, energy and human health, according to the climate change report published by the World Bank. Evidence from Albania and Macedonia in the Western Balkans, show an increased vulnerability of heat related strokes and mortalities, says the report.
The UN has described climate change as one of the major global challenges.
“From shifting weather patterns that threaten food production, to rising sea levels that increase the risk of catastrophic flooding, the impacts of climate change are global in scope and unprecedented in scale. Without drastic action today, adapting to these impacts in the future will be more difficult and costly,” says the UN.
