The first episode of winter
Winter has taken Romania in its grip.
Mihai Pelin, 19.11.2018, 13:25
The first heavy snow fall has just been registered in Romania, with bad weather reported in all regions of the country. Meteorologists have issued code yellow alerts against snowfalls, sleet, rain and gusty wind in almost three quarters of the territory, and they later limited the area under code alerts to the east and north-east. The snow later turned into sleet and rain. Temperatures decreased below zero degrees C and even down to minus 20 degrees centigrade on mountain ridges. Gusty wind of up to 55-75 km/h was also reported in these regions. A thick layer of snow in the mountains is now a reason of joy for ski lovers, who have already started to book a vacation in the mountain resorts.
Cold and precipitations will further be reported in the coming days, meteorologist Alina Şerban warns: “It will continue to be cold, even freezing in the areas outside the Carpathians’ curvature and this forecast is valid for the whole week. Actually, on Tuesday, Tuesday night and on Wednesday a new cold snap will hit the country, bringing over precipitations across most of the territory, particularly rain which will gradually turn into sleet, and even into snow in some regions, against the backdrop of low temperatures, below zero, down to as much as minus six, minus seven and minus eight degrees Celsius in places in the northern half of Moldavia and eastern Transylvania, in mid week.”
Snow has disrupted air traffic on several airports in Romania. Some flights reported delays because the planes had to be defrosted before takeoff. Road traffic is difficult in many regions of the country, without traffic restrictions being imposed however. Tens of snowploughs and dump-trucks cleared the roads, sprinkling anti-icing substances. In the capital city, the Bucharest City Hall has convened a winter command. Fire-fighters have already intervened to solve a series of events caused by the latest weather phenomena, particularly to remove uprooted trees which fell down on roads and vehicles. As expected, heavy traffic was reported in Bucharest. Cars ran at very low speed along the main roads and boulevards in keeping with the recommendation made by the traffic police, for drivers to be able to stop their cars in due time if need be. Drivers across the country are also advised not to park their cars under trees, because heavy snow might break tree branches. Pedestrian traffic is also difficult, as it rained after sidewalks got covered by snow.
