Croatia has been hit by severe storms with heavy rainfall and a sudden drop of temperature.

In the town of Bjelovar Friday afternoon, lightning struck a home for elderly persons and caused a fire that killed three and injured 11 people.

After Thursday's summer 25 to 30 degrees, bad weather hit Dubrovnik, Istria and Rijeka regions and the Gorski Kotar mountains, where the first snow fell causing traffic problems.

The afternoon storm that affected the Rijeka region caused destruction of trees, lighting and traffic light poles.