The effects of winter at the beginning of the year
Snowfall and strong winds are causing problems in Romania at the start of the year
Roxana Vasile, 05.01.2026, 14:00
After a mild December, winter is making itself felt in Romania at the beginning of January. Much of the country has been under a yellow weather warning since Monday, while regions in the Southern Carpathians have been warned of heavy snowfall with an orange code. In low-lying areas, snow and sleet at first, followed by mixed precipitation—rain, sleet, and snow in limited areas—may lead to localised ice and black ice formation.
In the mountains, where the new snow cover is expected to be between 10 and 30 centimetres, the wind is also blowing at speeds of 50-70 km/h, while at altitudes above 1,700 meters, it can reach up to 90 km/h, so that, temporarily, the snowfall is heavily blizzard-like and visibility is very low. In fact, on Monday morning, Salvamont ( the official mountain rescue service of Romania), announced on its Facebook page that, in just 24 hours, two people had been found dead and almost 100 had been rescued from the mountains. In the rest of Romania, traffic was flowing on Monday in winter conditions on roads across half the country, especially in the centre and west, where the road surface was partially covered with snow, while rain was reported in areas in the south and southeast.
Locally, in order to organise snow removal operations, traffic for vehicles weighing over 7.5 tons was restricted. The police reminded drivers that, when driving on roads covered with frost, ice, or snow, it is mandatory to equip vehicles with winter tires and, if necessary, even with anti-skid chains. Drivers must ensure good visibility from their vehicles by cleaning the windshield, rear window, and side windows, must drive at a speed appropriate to traffic and road conditions, must use the engine brake to reduce speed, and must not enter roads closed to traffic.
On the other hand, due to strong winds and snowfall in recent days, more than 17,000 households were still without electricity on Monday, out of a total of 95,000 that had been initially affected. According to the Ministry of Energy, the most affected counties were Alba, Mureş, and Sibiu, in the centre of the country. In these areas, numerous trees fell on power lines and caused damage, leading to temporary power outages. Teams are working in the field to repair the damage, but the freezing rain forecast by meteorologists in some areas may hamper their work at high altitudes.
Hydrologists have issued a yellow flood warning for rivers in five counties, where heavy rainfall on the slopes could cause flash floods, increased flow rates and water levels, with possible exceedances of warning levels. Some canals and lakes in the Danube Delta have frozen, but for now, ship traffic on the three branches of the Danube is proceeding under normal conditions. However, meteorologists are calling for increased caution until Friday, as precipitation is expected to fall temporarily in all regions of the country, with significant amounts of water locally. (MI)
