Every year thousands of Brit tourists head to Split, Croatia, for their annual summer holidays. However many trips to the city have been ruined after a freak storm wreaked havoc on the area. The Adriatic port city experienced a severe weather event on Tuesday (July 8), leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

The local meteorological service said “such storms are usual after a long period of heat with extremely hot days”. However, the extreme weather has left many astounded. The incident caused power outages, flooding in the streets and hazardous driving conditions, and three people were left injured.

Damage was also caused to the roof of the Split’s Poljud soccer stadium and a ferry in the port became loose and was blown by winds into two other boats, one of which sank. People often love visiting Park-šuma Marjan for hiking and beautiful views while in Split, but people were advised not to in the wake of the storm.

In a post on Facebook, pictures showed trees broken in half and debris strewn on the streets. A spokesperson for Park-šuma Marjan said: “Due to the strong storm that hit the Marjan area this morning, we ask all citizens and visitors NOT to go to Marjan today. A large number of trees are damaged or knocked down, there is a danger of branches falling and some roads are impassable. Crews are on the ground working on rehabilitation.”

People who witnessed the storm have been sharing videos online showing the normally vibrant city looking gloomy and wet following the storm.

One TikTok user, @chapskaia, shared an eye-opening clip of the brutal storm in which people could be seen walking in their socks through deep puddles, roofs blowing off stalls on the street, and cars stuck.

In another shocking clip taken after the storm subsided, large trees could be seen crushing cars, leaving windscreens smashed.

People rushed to comment on both videos after being shared on TikTok, with many holidaygoers sharing their worry about their upcoming trips. One said: “I was there … literally just came the midnight before and woke up to this. It was actually so sad to see.”

Another added: “Damn, me and my family are going to Trogir next week. Perfect video just before the vacation.” “Going tomorrow,” said another worried holiday goer.

Meanwhile a third said: “Wait, I’m literally going to Croatia in like four days.”

“Please no, I’m going there this August,” commented one other. One other wrote: “I am going to visit Croatia for the first time in one week and now I see this.”

But one individual offered some reassurance, adding: “It’s normal after a period of extremely high temperatures. It was sunny three hours later; but it sure made a lot of damage in those 15 minutes.”

“We had this on a boat trip last year,” added another.

The storm later hit Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, reports the Associate Press. While the weather has improved, many roads remain wet and slippery. Clean-up efforts are underway as officials in Split begins to assess and repair the widespread damage.