Winter has resumed its assault on Bulgaria after a day of respite. Snow commenced falling in the towns of Kuystendil, Bansko, Razlog and elsewhere in western Bulgaria on the morning of February 10 2010 and its intensity was increasing progressively, Bulgarian media reported.

The Bulgarian Meteorological Service (BMS) said that the country should prepare itself for another white blitz which would descend on the country on February 10 and 11.

The new weather front was expected to unleash snow and rain over the country, would slowly creep in from the southwest and progressively make its way over the entire country, the BMS said on their website.

In most areas in southern Bulgaria will see rain as temperatures hover around 3 to 4C. Experts say that in places in the Rhodope mountains rainfall could reach 30-40 litres per sq m, while on average it would be around 20 litres sq m in other parts of the country.

In central and norther Bulgaria, however, snow was expected with temperatures significantly lower than in the south. Along the Black Sea coast, temperatures was expected to fluctuate between 5 and 7C while in northern Bulgaria it would be between -2C and 2C. The temperature in Sofia should be around 0C to 1C, the report said.

Snow was to prevail in the mountains above 1500 m vertical elevation as temperatures were expected to be well below -4C. Strong and sustained winds, reaching hurricane intensity along the upper parts of the mountain would prevail for most of the day.

The Mountain Rescue Service warned that conditions for mountain tourism were poor and the danger of avalanches on the upper parts of the mountain, along the exposed slopes above the tree line, remained "severe".

Meanwhile, the arduous weather conditions in the north and north-east of the country in particular, were responsible for over 900 lorries left stranded at the Rousse – Byala road section, in turn blocking the way for cars as well, causing significant complication for traffic in the entire area, Bulgarian National Television said.

Lorries were stranded for hours overnight in temperatures dipping below -15C before they were finally able to proceed. According to several reports, the queue of lorries starting from the Dunav Most on the Bulgarian – Romanian border, snaked itself around the town and beyond, reaching more than 12km in length.

In order to prevent the congestion from escalating further, authorities stopped lorries coming from Pleven and Veliko Turnovo in the town of Byala, BNT said.