( CNN ) -- The Balkans are enduring the worst floods since records began 120 years ago . The situation is being exacerbated by the risk of landmines from the Bosnia war resurfacing . Already 26 bodies have been recovered , and rescuers expect to find more as flood waters recede . Even though the intense rainfall subsided Monday , the disaster is far from over . CNN meteorologist Pedram Javaheri said flooding in the region will last at least another week -- and in some places , it could get worse . Southern Europe is no stranger to heavy rain events : the low pressure system currently drenching the Balkan Peninsula was detached from the main weather pattern and is known as a `` cutoff low . '' This meteorological event has slowly dumped more than 100 millimeters of rain in only a few days , leaving rivers swollen and towns underwater . A cutoff low is similar to an eddy in the curve of a river that becomes isolated from the main current . Like a curve in a river , a cutoff low begins as a dip ( trough ) in the winds known as the westerlies . When one of these eddies becomes cut off from the main westerly flow , the closed circulation can last for two to three days on average . In the case of last week , the cutoff low lasted up to four days and dumped two months ' worth of rain . During the first stage of a cutoff low , a deep trough of cold air will dip south resembling an upside-down Omega-type shape in the jetstream . Cold air will then start to encircle the low on the west side , as the warm humid air moves north along the east side of the low . Eventually the warm air will wrap completely around , creating a pocket of cold air within the core of the low pressure system . The low will now drift slower than if it was a part of the main jetstream . Over the course of an average of two to three days -- occasionally as much as 10 or more -- the low-pressure system will merge back with the jetstream as the next dip ( trough ) digs southward and picks up the cutoff low . The existence of a cutoff low pattern occurs most commonly in Southern Europe , according to a 2004 study of cutoff low systems in the Northern Hemisphere . Other areas also mentioned in the study were the eastern Atlantic coast , the North Pacific and the Northern China-Siberian region . The effect of this weather system is exacerbated in the Balkans , where rivers are used to move trade and goods . CNN Weather Anchor Mari Ramos explained how the region is affected . `` Serbia , for example , is landlocked . Historically , the Sava and Danube rivers are the main commerce line to the Black Sea in the east and to the rest of Europe in the west . `` Rivers also supply hydrolectric power . You might think , more water means more power , but that is not necessarily the case . Excessively high water levels -- just like extremely low levels -- affect the efficiency level and energy output . Many smaller power stations are flooded -- some temporarily , while others are permanently damaged . '' Rivers in the Balkans also represent the main supply of fresh water . `` High water levels contaminate water treatment plants leaving thousands without drinking water , '' Ramos explained . Water is also used for industry so factories , fisheries and agriculture are all affected by these floods , she added . Read more : Epic flooding raises fears about landmines surfacing .
The Balkans are enduring the worst floods in 120 years , since record keeping began . 26 bodies have been recovered , and rescuers expect to find more as they recede . The low pressure system drenching the peninsula is known as a ` ` cutoff . '' Last year , the cutoff storm lasted up to four days and dumped two months ' worth of rain .