Sandbags are being prepared in Austria, reservoirs have been emptied in the Czech Republic and flash floods are expected in Poland, as forecasters warn of days of “potentially catastrophic” rainfall, writes BBC.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said there is “no reason to panic”, after attending a flood risk briefing in Wroclaw, amid forecasts of 15cm of rainfall in four southern provinces.

In Austria, heavy rain and snow in the mountains has already led to travel disruption and Chancellor Karl Nehammer has said the army is ready to deploy up to 1,000 soldiers if necessary.

The Czech capital is taking no chances, after floods that devastated the city two decades ago. Prague hopes to escape the worst of the flooding. Attention is focused this weekend on central and eastern parts of the country, especially North Moravia, where 50 people lost their lives in 1997.

Austria experienced its hottest August since records began, according to the Geosphere Austria federal institute. Now it is warning of 10-20cm of rainfall in many regions in a matter of days. In some places, well over 20cm is possible, especially in the mountains of Upper and Lower Austria and in northern Upper Styria. Austrian storm warning centre UWZ says that in some areas, previous records for the entire month of September will be “surpassed in just a few days”.

Flooding and landslides are possible, with gale force winds expected in the capital, Vienna. Aid organisation Caritas has appealed for volunteers to help in affected areas.

Continuous heavy rain is also expected across the border in the German state of Bavaria.