Bratislava is recovering from an extremely strong storm that swept through the capital in the early evening. The extreme weather left behind broken trees, scattered summer terraces and local floods. Firefighters are currently working in the streets. The entire raging weather lasted only about 15 minutes.
21.06.2026 22:20 , updated: 22.06.2026 13:12
The weather hit in two waves. While the first, weaker wave brought hail and wind to Záhorská Ves, the real danger arrived around 20:00 from Austria. The capital was hit by the so-called downburst – an extremely strong downward stream of air in a storm cloud, which after hitting the ground creates a destructive straight-line wind comparable to the effects of a tornado, the imeteo website reported.
At Koliba, they measured wind gusts with a speed of 19.9 m/s, while the wind subsequently increased to 21.3 m/s. The storm was also accompanied by hail, which brought hail with a diameter of 1 cm.
Extremely strong winds complicated traffic and broke trees. In addition, the situation was worsened by intense torrential downpours (with a total of up to 15 mm). The sewage network was unable to drain the huge amount of water, which led to several flooded sections and deep puddles on the roads and sidewalks.
The storm was also accompanied by high electrical activity – more than 200 lightning strikes in the west of Slovakia. A significant risk was mainly represented by the rare, but even more dangerous, CG+ type lightning (discharges with a positive charge). These flashes are up to 10 times stronger and last longer than regular flashes. They can strike insidiously even in places where it is not raining at all, or even several kilometers from the storm cloud itself.
After a dynamic storm, the sun finally came out from behind the clouds, revealing the full extent of the damage done in the capital. The blizzard also caused damage in the area of Bratislava Castle and in the vicinity of other buildings in the administration of the parliament. The consequences of the calamity have been removed since Monday morning.
“Yesterday’s storm didn’t even avoid Bratislava Castle, where it caused damage in the grounds and around the buildings under the administration of the parliament. Many thanks to all the workers who have been removing the consequences since morning and doing everything for the safety of visitors,” wrote the head of the parliament, Richard Raši.
As the NR SR explained, the workers are also inspecting the damaged places. She assured that all necessary measures were taken immediately after the event to ensure the safety of visitors.
The status of the group No Name, which did not finish its concert in Petržalka, says a lot about the strength of the storm.
Members of the Fire and Rescue Service (HaZZ) and members of the volunteer fire brigades of cities and municipalities intervened during Sunday in connection with the adverse weather, which was accompanied by intense storm activity and strong winds. Firefighters recorded the most interventions in Bratislava (19) and Banskobystricky regions (15). HaZZ reported about it on the social network.
Interventions mainly concerned the removal of fallen trees from state roads and local roads, while some roads were partially impassable, the removal of trees that had fallen on personal motor vehicles or the pumping of water from flooded cellars of family houses and the release of blocked culverts. In one case, it was a fire in the electrical installation in an apartment building after a lightning strike.
Downburst also in August 2020
A phenomenon like the one on Sunday, i.e. the downburst, also hit Bratislava in August 2020. Wind gusts exceeded 60 km/h, massively breaking and uprooting trees. For example, tree falls on Špitálská Street or directly in front of the Kyiv Hotel are known. There were major public transport outages. At that time, firefighters in the region completed dozens of trips to fallen branches and torn parts of roofs.
Read more The swimming pool in Podhájska was devastated by a downburst, not a tornado
In June 2022, flash floods swept through the capital again. A break in the clouds brought an extreme amount of water – almost 50 mm of rain fell in the area of the airport and in the city center. The result was the collapse of traffic in several sections and a completely flooded, impassable Gagarin Street, which became a literal lake, as the sewage system had no chance to handle such an onslaught of water.
In June 2024, the “megastorm” came again. The capital city faced extremely strong storms, which again arrived from Austria. In addition to strong gusty winds, they brought a huge amount of precipitation, which immediately led to local flooding. Several streets were under water and the frequented Bratislava subways were also flooded (for example, the well-known subway on Bajkalská street).
Read more The wind in Bratislava broke trees, meteorologists are talking about a downburst
