Large parts of central Europe are bracing for potential flooding this weekend with heavy rainfall expected across parts of Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria.

Up to 400 mm of rain is expected to fall on the highlands on the Polish-Czech border within just 72 hours, according to local meteorological stations, with consequences for surrounding regions and nearby towns and cities.

In Poland, authorities have issued their highest weather warning in the southern voivodeships — or regions — of Lower Silesia, Opole and Silesia, while the mayor of the city of Wroclaw has convened a crisis committee. In 1997, a third of Wroclaw was flooded when the River Oder burst its banks.

"There is a realistic risk of local inundations from Friday to Sunday," said the Polish weather service.

Czech Republic expecting heaviest rain in over 20 years

In the neighboring Czech Republic, forecasters have warned of heavy rain and winds reaching up to 100 kilometers (60 miles) per hour in the eastern region of Moravia, where towns and cities have been installing anti-flood barriers and preparing sandbags to battle the elements.

Czech Environment Minister Petr Hladik compared the situation to "the ones we experienced in 1997 and 2002," when flooding caused the loss of dozens of lives and billions of euros' worth of damage.

Like in 2002, the weather in the Czech Republic could have an effect over the border in Germany and particularly in the eastern city of Dresden, where authorities are still dealing with a collapsed bridge over the River Elbe.

Czech authorities have already warned that they won't be able to restrict or reduce water levels in the Elbe, which flows from the Czech Republic into Saxony.

Germany, Austria and Slovakia braced for flooding

Across the Czech Republic's southern and eastern borders, authorities in Austria and Slovakia have canceled events and are also preparing to deploy military personnel to support emergency services.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said on Wednesday that up to 1,000 soldiers were on standby as state broadcaster ORF predicted the rainfall could cause the level of the River Danube to rise to five-year or even ten-year-highs.

Slovak fire brigade chief Adrian Mifkovic said mobile dams measuring five to six kilometers were ready for deployment, while the Slovak army and voluntary firefighters were also on alert.

Meanwhile in southern Germany, between 60 and 100 mm of rain are expected in some Bavarian Alpine regions, where the German Meteorological Service (DWD) is also forecasting the first heavy snowfalls of the year, with up to 50 centimeters or nearly 20 inches of fresh snow set to fall in regions above 1,500 meters.

mf/kb (dpa, AFP)