Hilly areas in the west are expected to get 150-200 millimetres of rain in the next 24 hours, with much higher local spikes possible, meteorologist Aleš Poredoš told the press in Ljubljana on Sunday.

The red alarm was thus declared for the entire Soča river basin, the Vipava Valley and the Reka watershed, areas that had already seen flooding earlier this week.

This time the meteorologists expects even worse flooding, as the soil is already drenched and will not soak up much water.

On the coast the sea is expected to flood low-lying areas, in particular in and around Piran, while the wave strength will increase.

Less severe flooding is also forecast for northern and central Slovenia and parts of Štajersko, where Sava, Savinja, Sora, Sotla, Meža, Ljubljanica, Krka and their tributaries may spill over.

Only eastern Slovenia will be spared, as rainfall there is not projected to exceed 40 millimetres.

Srečko Šestak, the commander of the Civil Protection, said rescuers as well as firefighters were on standby in the high-risk areas.

About 200 soldiers are also ready to be called in and their number will increase if needed.