End of April - snow on Zlatibor and Kopaonik. In Serbia. Parts of Bosnia covered. On the Macedonian mountains - rain and temperatures that remind you of October. "Old man April has three hundred whims," they say. This year is showing every single one.

The meteorological extremes are not random. A string of anomalies has been the trend since 2019 - summer downpours, winters with no snow, or like this year: a spring that is winter. Rapid climate change disrupts the synchronisation of the seasons. It's not just anecdotal - it carries a direct cost for agriculture.

Orchards that started to bloom two weeks ago are now in danger. Cold weather at this time means a smaller crop of cherries, apricots, peaches. Balkan farmers, already battling subsidies, imports and unfair competition, take another hit.

In Skopje today it was raining. On mountains above 1,500 metres - snow. Meteorologists warn that May 1st will not be the "sunny day" people expect - with the barbecue, the trip out, the first picnic. The warm-weather plans are being shut down before they begin.

Historically the Balkan saying "April has three hundred whims" referred to the chaotic weather between April 1 and April 30. The end of April was already spring. In 2026, the saying has been extended. Now April 30 can be autumn. And nobody knows whether tomorrow will bring sunshine or snowfall.

This is the symbol of our era. Uncertainty, restlessness, and climate decisions made in distant countries decades ago - whose bill arrives in Skopje today. When we remember weather as it used to be "before", that is not just sentimentality. It is recognition that something has happened that we do not fully understand. And all of us, as Balkan citizens, are simply witnesses.