Romania, in the grip of bad weather

Heavy rainsfall, storms and hail were reported in Romania at the end of last week, causing serious damage across the country.

Daniela Budu, 30.05.2022, 14:00

After days of high temperatures, Romania was been gripped by storms and whirlwinds that caused serious damages at the end of last week. Thunderstorms, torrential rain and strong wind were also reported across Romania and hail was present in some areas. The quantities of water exceeded 20-30 liters per square meter and even 50 liters per square meter in isolated areas. The south, south west and centre of the country was particularly affected by these weather phenomena.

Yellow ad orange code alerts for high atmospheric instability were in place for almost the entire country, while red code alerts for heavy storms were valid for southern Romania, where cultures were destroyed by hail. Hydrologists also issued orange and yellow code alerts for flooding, valid for 19 water basis. Trees put down by storms, damaged cars and flooded streets composed the picture of the end of the week in many Romanian localities.

The city of Craiova, in the south west, was flooded, prompting the closing down of certain road segments, and causing traffic disruptions and suspension of celebrations occasioned by the days of the city. Moreover, rescue teams were called to evacuate water from a number of households and remove a tree that had fallen over a car. The capital Bucharest was also affected by the bad weather. Dozens of trees and a number of light polls were brought down, households were flooded, cars were damaged and roofs were blown away.

Bucharesters received a text message, from the Department for Emergencies, recommending them to take shelter during the storm. The bad weather disrupted traffic in the north and centre of the city, as well as on the Bucharest-Pitesti motorway. Following warnings by meteorologists, the Emergency Committee of Ilfov county , near Bucharest, set up teams operating around the clock at the weather monitoring and alert services. The Interior Ministry supported local authorities and the population in a number of counties and the capital Bucharest to remove the effects of the bad weather. According to a release by the Interior Ministry, firefighters helped evacuate water from yards, basements and streets and remove fallen trees. (EE)