The major hourslong power outage hit much of the Balkans on Friday as the southern European region sweltered in an early heat wave that sent temperatures soaring to more than 40 C (104 F). Montenegrin authorities said that an outage that lasted for several hours in the country''s power distribution system left almost the entire country without electricity, while similar problems were reported in the coastal part of Croatia, Bosnia and Albania.
A woman cools herself as a pigeon drinks water from a public fountain in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, June 21, 2024. A major hourslong power outage hit much of the Balkans on Friday as the southern European region sweltered in an early heat wave that sent temperatures soaring to more than 40 C (104 F). (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
Residents and tourists fill up their water bottles from a public fountain in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, June 21, 2024. A major hourslong power outage hit much of the Balkans on Friday as the southern European region sweltered in an early heat wave that sent temperatures soaring to more than 40 C (104 F). (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
A man cools himself at a public fountain in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, June 21, 2024. A major hourslong power outage hit much of the Balkans on Friday as the southern European region sweltered in an early heat wave that sent temperatures soaring to more than 40 C (104 F). (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
A man a public fountain before sunset in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, June 20, 2024 as temperatures exceeded 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit). The national weather forecaster issued a orange warning for western and southern Romania where temperatures are expected to reach 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit) in the coming days. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Children enjoy the drizzle from a public fountain before sunset in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, June 20, 2024 as temperatures exceeded 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit). The national weather forecaster issued a orange warning for western and southern Romania where temperatures are expected to reach 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit) in the coming days. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A young man cools off in the drizzle from a public fountain before sunset in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, June 20, 2024 as temperatures exceeded 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit). The national weather forecaster issued a orange warning for western and southern Romania where temperatures are expected to reach 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit) in the coming days. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A child plays next to a public fountain before sunset in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, June 20, 2024 as temperatures exceeded 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit). The national weather forecaster issued a orange warning for western and southern Romania where temperatures are expected to reach 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit) in the coming days. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A woman carries plastic bags walking by a public fountain before sunset in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, June 20, 2024 as temperatures exceeded 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit). The national weather forecaster issued a orange warning for western and southern Romania where temperatures are expected to reach 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit) in the coming days. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A bird cools itself at a public fountain in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, June 21, 2024. A major hours long power outage hit much of the Balkans on Friday as the southern European region sweltered in an early heat wave that sent temperatures soaring to more than 40 C (104 F). (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — A major hourslong power outage hit much of the Balkans on Friday as the southern European region sweltered in an early heat wave that sent temperatures soaring to more than 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
Montenegrin authorities said that an outage that lasted for several hours in the country''s power distribution system left almost the entire nation without electricity, while similar problems were reported in the coastal part of Croatia, and in Bosnia and Albania.
Nada Pavicevic, a spokeswoman for Montenegro''s state power distribution company, described the outage as a "disturbance of regional proportion," and said authorities were still working to determine what happened.
The exact cause of the outage was not immediately clear as the regional power grid has been overloaded for days because of overconsumption and the use of air-conditioning in high temperatures.
Bosnia''s state power company said the outage there was caused by problems in a regional distribution line, while Albania''s state power company said the "extreme heat" caused the problem.
Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia and Albania share the Adriatic Sea coastline and the power grids in the region remain interconnected, decades after the Balkan wars in the 1990s.
"The whole electric grid system of continental Europe is connected together, and that sometimes has its benefits but also has its flaws," said Danko Blazevic, the head of Croatia''s electric grid networks.
In Croatia''s resort of Dubrovnik, thousands of tourists were left stranded in the midafternoon, with restaurants, pubs, supermarkets, ice cream parlors and others shutting their doors during the outage. Soccer fans milled around some of the pubs with darkened television screens, unable to watch the games played at the European Championship soccer tournament in Germany.
The collapse, which started just after noon on Friday, came as authorities throughout the region warned citizens to be cautious, drink water and avoid sunshine because of extremely high temperatures.
"Don''t stay in the sun between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.," warned Serbia''s Public Health Institute in its instructions to citizens. "If you must go out, please take a bottle of water along."
The sweltering heat was the worst in big cities, where concrete sizzled even in the evening, and where nights offered no real respite as temperatures remained above 20 C (68 F).
Earlier this week, authorities in North Macedonia imposed emergency measures through Sunday, after which the heat is expected to relent. On Friday, authorities in Romania imposed weight limits for vehicles traveling on national roads in some counties to prevent degradation to road surfaces.
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