"For now we can say that temperatures in Ljubljana on New Year's Eve will go down to -9 or -10 degrees Celsius. Elsewhere evening lows will most likely go down to -11, or even -12 degrees Celsius," says Andrej Pečenko, a weather forecaster at the Environmental Agency (Arso). He confirmed to MMC that we might be in for one of the coldest entrances into the New Year in the history of Arso's record keeping.

The agency's archives go back to the year 1961. The coldest New Year's Eve in the capital, by far, was in 1968 when a temperature of -11,4 degrees Celsius was recorded at 9 p.m. In 1964 it was -9,4 degrees, on the 31st of December 1996 a temperature of -7,6 degrees below the freezing point was recorded. In 1976 and 1980 it went down to -6,2 degrees Celsius. On the last day of 1992 at 9 p.m., the thermometer showed -6.

The warmest farewell to the old year was recorded in 2002, when the thermometer showed +8 degrees above the freezing point. It was exactly +8 degrees on the 31st of December, 1997. Following are the New Years Eves of 1978 (+7,8), 2009 (+7,5) and 2006 (+6,7).

»While December of 2014 was the warmest, will its end be the coldest?
"Normally December is a somewhat more dynamic month, with less cold days, compared to January. In January the weather usually stabilizes and gets colder. However, the weather has been crazy lately and it just refuses to abide by the rules we previously set out," jokes Pečenko.

"It's an irony that this year's December, if not the warmest, will definitely end up among the warmest ever. In general we can say that the whole year, according to the temperatures we had, was the warmest to date. And it's an irony that it should all end with so much cold and ice," added Pečenko.

An orange alarm has been issued. A bit warmer on Friday.
The Environmental Agency warns that in the coming days temperatures will remain well below the freezing point, except in the coastal region. The lowest temperatures can be expected from Tuesday until Thursday, and that between minus 10 and minus 15 degrees Celsius. In some places even lower.

And what about Thursday? "At the moment we don't have any specific information for the beginning of January, but eventually it will become a bit warmer. Forecasts show that already on Friday and Saturday, as well as next week, temperatures will not be as cold as they are now," explained Pečenko.

However we will have to get through the next couple of days. Because of the extremely cold weather the Environmental Agency has issued an orange alarm for the entire country for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The feeling of cold will be increased by strong winds, which will reach even up to 70 km/h in the west and north-east of the country.

Warnings regarding alcohol
Considering the fact that thousands of people usually await the New Year outside in town squares and streets, people are also warned against the overconsumption of alcohol, especially in extreme weather conditions... For those who might have "one too many drinks", there is a danger of going into hypothermia. Appropriate footwear and warm clothes will be needed for those opting to await the New Year in the open.