A dangerous front is crossing Poland. Ministry of Interior and Administration: The situation is alarming.

"The atmospheric front will persist for the next 72 hours. Local flooding is possible," said the deputy head of the Ministry of Interior and Administration at the crisis headquarters on Saturday evening. Wiesław Leśniakiewicz stated that "the situation is alarming." "It's better to be prepared and react," he added.

On Saturday evening, in front of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, Deputy Minister of Interior and Administration Wiesław Leśniakiewicz provided information on the crisis management team convened in connection with the weather situation in Poland.

During the meeting at the Government Security Centre, the situation regarding the dynamics of precipitation accompanying storms, especially in the south of the country, was analyzed.

"We had meetings with the voivodes of Podkarpacie, Małopolska, Silesia, Opole, Świętokrzyskie, and Lower Silesia . These areas are most at risk. We analyzed the situation and prepared," Leśniakiewicz said.

SEE: Storms and heavy rains are sweeping across Poland. IMWM and RCB have issued alerts.

He emphasized that special emphasis was placed on the efficient flow of information down to the "municipal level".

"The weather forecast is alarming because this atmospheric front will last at least 72 hours. The most dangerous will be localized thunderstorms ," the deputy minister emphasized.

"One of the recommendations we submitted to the voivodes is the need to evacuate youth camps . (...) Especially in areas with a third-degree storm threat. Evacuation is absolutely necessary there," he noted.

Leśniakiewicz said the water levels aren't alarming enough to warrant "massive flooding." "However, localized flooding may occur ," he explained.

SEE: TOPR warns against mountain expeditions. "The wait for help may be longer."

The deputy minister said steps have been taken to warn citizens of the threat . "Locally strong winds may occur, causing damage and power outages. Therefore, we will prepare our homes even for this 2-3-day power outage," he appealed.

IMWM spokesperson Agnieszka Prasek said that third-level warnings have been issued for Sunday in the Silesian, Opole, and Lesser Poland voivodeships. "Local rainfall of up to 150 mm is possible by Monday. However, we have second-level warnings for the Podkarpackie voivodeships across the center and northeastern parts of the country," she added.

She explained that "the situation is dynamic." "That's why the warning levels may be raised," she said.

The State Fire Service is capable of increasing its personnel at any time. The police, Territorial Defence Forces (WOT), and Tatra Volunteer Search and Rescue (TOPR), among others, are also on standby. "We urge caution and not to venture into the mountains during this period," added the deputy minister.

The meeting – in a hybrid and in-person format – was attended by, among others, the Chief Commander of the Police, Inspector General Marek Boroń, the Deputy Chief Commander of the State Fire Service, Chief Brigadier Paweł Frysztak, representatives of the Territorial Defense Forces, voivodes from the threatened areas, and representatives of the State Fire Service structures from individual voivodeships.