Croatia gets rare seaside snow

ROUGH CUT - NO REPORTER NARRATION

These were the scenes in the southern Croatian city of Split after snowfall rarely seen along the nation's Adriatic coast.

Meteorologists say storms that hit on Thursday (February 2) brought the heaviest snowfall seen in the area in half a century.

Major cities like Split and Sibenik along the Adriatic coast saw up to 15cm of snow (5.9 inches) while temperatures plunged to -4C (25F) at night.

Snow was also reported on Adriatic islands including Hvar and Solta.

While residents of the region made the most of the rare wintry conditions daily life in many places has ground to a standstill.

Weather forecasters say snow and high winds will continue through the weekend with temperatures in some central areas of Croatia expected to drop to -20C in the coming days.