No serious injuries are reported, but the storm caused considerable damage to property and disrupted traffic as it made its way from the west to the east of the country.

On the coast, civil protection teams were busy rescuing swimmers and yachtsmen from the sea that suddenly turned rough.

Windows and awnings of several seafront restaurants were broken and cars were damaged by fallen trees.

The storm peeled off roofs from several buildings, knocked down trees and electricity poles in its trail in other parts of the country, mostly damaging parked cars.

Although no serious injuries are reported, the Ljubljana police brigade said that some people were caught under fallen trees.

Streets in Ljubljana were littered with parts of roofing, fallen trees and rubbish containers dislocated by the wind.

In Maribor, almost 15,000 electricity customers lost their power supplies after the storm caused a fault on the electricity distribution network.