A double weather whammy strikes Romania: imminent floods from swollen rivers alongside a brutal cold snap and relentless snow, paralyzing communities nationwide. Flood advisories remain active until 3 PM local time, highlighting fears of waters exceeding critical levels.
Orange-level alerts target the Teleajen River in Prahova County and Milcov basin in Vrancea until midday, with yellow codes over parts of eastern Barlad River areas. Romania’s hydrological service uses this tiered system to communicate threats—yellow indicating possible flooding, orange grave peril, and red full crisis mode.
Proactive measures include mass emergency notifications to at-risk populations. In Prahova, emergency teams tackled widespread inundation, draining water from properties with no major incidents logged.
Tensions rose in Buzau County where Niscov River floods blocked the sole road to Mireea village, isolating 12 individuals from four households. Relief efforts confirm their well-being and stocked essentials, buying time until waters recede.
Just days prior, the national weather office activated a yellow frost warning blanketing more than 50% of Romania, including Bucharest across 28 counties. Effective Monday 10 AM to Tuesday morning, it captured the onset of this polar plunge.
Snow dumps in the capital and south created icy nightmares on highways, prompting round-the-clock salting and plowing operations to avert pile-ups.
Experts foresaw February’s icy grip, projecting overnight lows to -15°C in highland valleys and sub-zero days in the northeast. Plains anticipate showers, but peaks above 1,500m risk hail amid freezing temps.
Since month’s start, northerly gales have dominated, hitting northern Moldova with daytime chills of -7°C to -10°C. Expect persistent snowfalls and wintry mixes in north, center, and east through February, demanding heightened preparedness from citizens and authorities alike.