Tourists spending time in the Tatra Mountains today face difficult weather conditions. The main threat is strong winds, with gusts exceeding 100 km/h. The authorities of the Tatra National Park urge caution.
A very strong wind blows in Tatra Mountainsthere is a first degree warning issued by the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management.
– It's not safe. This morning, the gusts on Kasprowy Wierch reached 110 kilometers per hour, so it can be said that this wind makes it impossible to go to high altitudes. We can lose our balance, which may result in a fall from a height – says Tomasz Zając from the Tatra National Park in an interview with TVN24.
On January 1, people staying in the Tatra County received text messages with an alert from the Government Security Center. According to forecasts, the wind is expected to weaken on Thursday around 4 p.m.
“The wind is felt strongly”
Despite difficult conditions, there are still many tourists on Kasprowy Wierch. Most of them get there by cable car.
– You can feel it (wind – editor's note), especially when we were going up, but once you're here, all the views definitely make up for it. But the wind is felt strongly – says one of the tourists.
Currently, the first level of avalanche danger also applies in the Tatra Mountains. It means that triggering an avalanche is generally only possible with a large additional load in a few places on very steep or extreme slopes. However, small and medium-sized avalanches can occur spontaneously.
A tourist about the conditions on Kasprowy WierchTVN24
Main photo source: TVN24