Between 100 and 150 millimetres of rain is forecast for the western and central regions through Saturday, with short bursts of heavy downpours expected, meteorologist Brane Gregorčič told the STA.

Rivers have started to swell but they are not expected to rise beyond their floodplains.

Even though precipitation has been less severe than feared, reports from western Slovenia indicate relief workers had to kick into action overnight, mainly to pump water from inundated basements.

Some landslides were triggered in Posočje area and Gorenjsko in the north but so far no major damage has been reported.

The Environment Agency yesterday declared a red alert, though it cautioned that it could not provide more micro-specific forecasts.

Its decision may have been prompted by the severe rainfall two weeks ago, which caused significant damage as a month's worth of rain fell overnight, causing massive flash flooding.