Radio România Internațional

Tag: freezing rain

  • Unusual weather conditions

    Unusual weather conditions


    In many parts of Romania, people woke up on Friday morning in a
    Nordic fairy tale. Freezing rain turned the entire landscape, including the
    towns and cities, into crystal. Utterly spectacular pics poured into social
    networks, but unfortunately the landscape was as dangerous as it was fascinating.
    Freezing rain is a meteorological phenomenon occurring in winter months, but
    rather infrequent in Romania. It happens when rain drops freeze almost
    instantly if the temperature on the ground is below zero. A thin layer of ice
    thus forms on streets, vegetation, cars, electricity poles and everything else.




    At the end of last week, for 2 or 3 days, the counties in the south
    of Romania were under code yellow and orange alerts for freezing rain.
    Thousands of trees collapsed under the weight of the ice, and fell like bowling
    pins, some of them torn from the very roots. In cities, including Bucharest,
    many trees fell into the street and on hundreds of cars, causing substantial
    damages. In the capital city alone, fire-fighters received ten times more calls
    than usually and instead of enjoying a peaceful weekend every neighbourhood saw
    special teams coming to collect the piles of fallen branches and trunks. Roads
    became truly dangerous, both for cars and for pedestrians. Public
    transportation was equally problematic, because the ice affected the electric
    networks fuelling trams and trolleys.




    The freezing rain also posed serious problems for air traffic:
    air-planes were grounded for hours, as de-icing manoeuvres turned useless. Road
    traffic was temporarily suspended on motorways, national and county roads, and
    weight restrictions were introduced.




    Road transport was also affected, and so were electricity lines,
    with thousands of families left in the dark. According to the Interior
    Ministry, beginning on Friday until Sunday, when 74 alerts and warnings were
    issued, as many as 8,000 fire-fighters, police and gendarme troops were
    deployed to field operations every day. Some of them were off duty this
    weekend, but sacrificed their free time to help citizens. Freezing rain was
    also accompanied by snowfalls and snowstorms, particularly in the mountains.




    In the coming days, the weather will improve, so snow and ice will
    no longer pose problems, but the risk of flooding, due to the snow melting,
    will be very high. (Translated by AM Popescu, edited by D. Vijeu)

  • January 26, 2019 UPDATE

    January 26, 2019 UPDATE

    WEATHER – Meteorologists have issued a new code yellow alert against freezing rain and icing valid for 6 counties in south-eastern Romania and the capital city, Bucharest, as well as warnings against freezing rain for the south and the southwest, and against gusty wind and snowfalls for the mountainous regions, valid until Sunday. 16 counties and the city of Bucharest have been affected by freezing rain and precipitations. In Bucharest, scores of trees have been broken or uprooted because of freezing rain and tens of cars have been damaged, the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations has announced. Electricity has been disrupted because of unfavourable weather conditions, with 120,000 people being left without electricity in some 200 towns and villages. Bad weather has also affected road traffic, several segments of highway and national roads having been temporarily closed because of icing and blizzard. Railway and air traffic has also been severely disrupted. Trains failed to arrive on time and many flights have been cancelled or delayed on Henri Coanda Airport near Bucharest as well as on other airports across the country because of aircraft de-icing procedures. Tens of people slipping on snow or ice have been taken to hospital for care, with injuries and bone fractures. Over 12,000 employees of the Romanian Interior Ministry, policemen, fire-fighters and gendarmes have been mobilised to intervene immediately and support the population. As of Sunday noon, temperatures will slightly go up all across the country. The highs will range between minus 3 and plus 7 degrees Celsius.



    FLU – The Romanian Health Ministry will decide next week whether or not to declare a flu epidemic in Romania, after a growing number of flu virus infections and deaths in recent times. The authorities have announced that 39 people have succumbed to the flu this season. The line minister, Sorina Pintea, on Tuesday called on the National Public Health Institute to make public data on the situation at national level and said the ministry will declare the outbreak of a flu epidemic if reported data confirm for a third week the epidemic scale of the flu. Doctors continue to recommend vaccination as well as going to a GP when noticing symptoms similar to flu infections. As regards the suspension of classes in schools and high-schools because of the rising number of flu cases, the health minister said each school can file a request to that end, if the rate of absenteeism exceeds 20%.



    VENEZUELA – The EU High Representative for Foreign Policy,
    Federica Mogherini, on Saturday urged Venezuela to hold free, transparent and
    credible presidential elections to elect a government that truly represents the
    will of its citizens. In the absence of an announcement on the organization of
    fresh elections with the necessary guarantees over the next few days, the EU
    will take further actions, including on the issue of recognition of the
    country’s leadership in line with article 233 of the Venezuelan constitution,
    Mogherini said in a statement. Mogherini’s message comes after the coordinated
    ultimatums from Madrid,
    Paris, Berlin, London and Lisbon, which gave 8 days to the incumbent president
    Nicolas Maduro to call for early elections, or they will recognize his
    opponent, Juan Guaido, as ”president” of Venezuela if he does not do that in
    this time span. On Saturday, the Venezuela file was on the agenda of a UN Security
    Council meeting, convened at the request of the USA. US Secretary of State, Mike
    Pompeo, urged the Security Council members to support the leader of the opposition
    in Venezuela, Juan Guaido. The latter self-proclaimed interim president on
    Wednesday, enjoying Washington’s support.


    MACEDONIA – The Romanian Foreign Ministry has hailed the signing by the Greek Parliament of the Prespa Agreement which provides for the official change of the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia into the Republic of North Macedonia. The Romanian Foreign Ministry says Fridays vote in the Parliament in Athens, alongside the one in the Parliament in Skopje, on January 11, stand proof of both sides commitment to normalise bilateral relations and contributes significantly to giving a new dynamics to the Western Balkans European and Euro-Atlantic perspective. The ratification of the agreement has also been hailed by the USA. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has expressed satisfaction with the approval by the Greek Parliament of the agreement which puts en end to an almost 30 year-long dispute between the two neighbours and opens the way to that small Balkan state towards EU and NATO accession. The agreement has been vehemently contested by numerous Greeks, as Macedonia is also the name of a historical Greek province.



    USA – US President Donald Trump has signed a bill to end federal shutdown and temporarily reopen government. The deal announced on Friday will re-open shuttered federal agencies until February 15. It will enable approximately 800,000 employees affected by the shutdown to resume work and receive payment. In another move, President Trump warned however to impose a fresh shutdown if the Mexico border wall deal is not reached by February 15. The American Senate unanimously passed a funding bill on Friday afternoon. It then went to the House, where it was unanimously approved.



    POLITICS – Former Romanian technocratic PM Dacian Cioloş on Saturday was elected President of the Liberty, Unity and Solidarity Party, PLUS, with a majority of votes. Ciolos said he will only hold a one year mandate, until the leading structures of the party are elected. During his tenure, Ciolos will have responsibilities in building the party and getting good results in the European parliamentary elections scheduled for May. Dacian Ciolos is a former EU Commissioner for Agriculture. He became Prime Minister of Romania in the autumn of 2015, after the resignation tendered by the Ponta cabinet, against the backdrop of wide protests generated by the tragic events of October 30, 2015, when fire ripped through the Colectiv club in Bucharest, killing many innocent lives. Ciolos led the government until the 2016 legislative elections.



    MOLDOVAN ELECTIONS – The electoral campaign for the parliamentary elections of February 24 started in the neighbouring Republic of Moldova on Friday. The elections will be held for the first time based on the so called mixed voting system, that is 50 MPs will be elected on party lists and 51 others in uninominal electoral constituencies, in only one round of voting. Nine parties have already enlisted so far and six have filed the documents at the Central Electoral Committee. According to the opinion polls, the pro-Russian Socialists of President Igor Dodon are in the lead, followed by representatives of the pro-European right and the ruling Democratic Party (left of centre). A referendum on downsizing the number of MPs from 101 to 61 and on introducing the possibility of dismissing MPs will also be held concurrently with the elections.



    AUSTRALIA – Thousands of Australians took part in rallies across the country on Saturday to protest against the so called “Invasion Day, which marks the arrival of the first British settlers in 1788 and which they consider an insult to the indigenous population, FP reports. To many Australians, January 26, when “Australia Day is celebrated, marks the start of oppression against the indigenous population. The protesters, gathered in big cities, have called for changing the date of the national holiday or for simply relinquishing it. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who is opposed to the change, has said Australia cannot turn its back on its past. In that country, the Aboriginal Australians are most disadvantaged, with a poverty rate much below other communities and also with a reduced access to healthcare.



    TENNIS – Japanese woman tennis player, Naomi Osaka, no.4 WTA on Saturday won the womens final of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, by defeating the Czech Petra Kvitova (no. 6 WTA), in three sets. Osaka, 21, will become no.1 WTA as of Monday, replacing Romanian Simona Halep, who got eliminated in the eighth finals in Melbourne. Osaka is the first woman tennis player from an Asian country to become no.1 in the world. Petra Kvitova will become no.2 WTA, also as of Monday. (Translated by D. Vijeu)

  • January 26, 2019

    January 26, 2019

    FLU – The Romanian Health Ministry will decide next week whether or not to declare the outbreak of the flu virus a flu epidemic in Romania, after a growing number of flu virus infections and deaths in recent times. The authorities have announced that 39 people have succumbed to the flu this season. The line minister, Sorina Pintea, on Tuesday called on the National Public Health Institute to make public data related to the situation at national level and said the ministry will declare the outbreak of a flu epidemic if reported data confirm for a third week the epidemic scale of the flu. Doctors continue to recommend vaccination as well as going to a GP when noticing symptoms similar to flu infections. As regards the suspension of classes in schools and high-schools because of the rising number of flu cases, the health minister said each school can file a request to that end, if the rate of absenteeism exceeds 20%.



    WEATHER –16 counties in Romania and the city of Bucharest have been affected by freezing rain and precipitations over the past 24 hours. In Bucharest, scores of trees have been broken or uprooted because of freezing rain and tens of cars have been affected, the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations has announced. Electricity has been disputed because of unfavourable weather conditions, with 14,500 people being left without electricity in tens of towns and villages. Blizzard and freezing rain have prompted the authorities to request the activation of the cell with coordinating responsibilities in the domain of electricity distribution and supplying. Bad weather has also affected road traffic, several segments of highway and national roads having been closed because of icing and blizzard. Trains fail to arrive on time and many flights have delayed because of lengthy aircraft de-icing procedures on Henri Coanda Airport near Bucharest. Tens of people slipping on snow or ice have been taken to hospital for care, with injuries and bone fractures. Over 12,000 employees of the Romanian Interior Ministry, policemen, fire-fighters and gendarmes have been mobilised to intervene and support the population if need be. The sky is still overcast in Romania and precipitations are reported all across the country. The highs of the day range between minus 5 and plus 9 degrees Celsius. The noon reading in Bucharest was minus one degree C.



    SPORT — The Romanian women’s handball champion, CSM București, is facing Gyor ETO team of Hungary, in the first group B match of the Champions’ League. The two teams are ranking first in the group, Gyor with 8 points and CSM with 6. Playing in the same group are also Vipers Kristiansand (Norway), Krim Ljubljana (Slovenia), Ferencvaros (Hungary) and Thuringer HC (Germany). In the last two seasons, CSM Bucureşti got the bronze medal of the competition, after it won the trophy in 2016. It is now playing for the fourth time in the Champions’ League. Also today, the EHF Cup holders, Romania’s vice-champions, SCM Craiova (in the south), are facing on home ground the Croatian team Podravka Vegeta Koprivnica, in Group D. Podravka ranks first with 6 points, followed by Super Amara Bera Bera (Spain) and SCM Craiova, with 2 points each. In Group A, SC Măgura of Cisnădie (in the centre) is meeting , away from home, the Norwegian team Storhamar Handball Elite. In the first three matches of the group, Magura sustained defeat. (Translated by D. Vijeu)

  • Snow and blizzard grip part of Romania

    Snow and blizzard grip part of Romania

    On March 23, 2018, on World
    Meteorological Day, more than half of Romania was under weather alerts for
    heavy snow, blizzard and low visibility. The World Meteorological Organization
    has already warned over the effects of climate change, such as blizzards and
    very low temperatures, tropical cyclones, heat waves and drought. According to
    the meteorological calendar, spring begins on March 1st , and if we
    go by the astronomical calendar, it
    starts on March 20.

    Nevertheless, in the past week Romania has been under
    yellow and orange code alerts for snow, blizzard and flooding and has also been
    affected by freezing rain, which produced glaze ice on roads and
    railways, hampering traffic. On Friday, traffic on the southern Romanian
    motorways was affected by blizzard and low visibility. Traffic was also
    disrupted on several national and county roads in the same area, where entire
    road sections had to be closed because of the blizzard, heavy snow and fallen
    trees. Also, dozens of trains were cancelled. The bad weather caused schools
    and kindergartens to close down on Friday in the capital Bucharest and in
    several counties in the south. Over 13 thousand policemen, firelighters and
    gendarmes are ready to intervene if case of emergency.

    Here is the Interior
    Minister Carmen Dan: I have
    called on the citizens to comply with the authorities’ recommendations and not
    venture into the roads closed due to blizzard and snow, given that rescue
    operations are restricted to the rescuers’ action area and the fact that by
    doing that they would put the very life of their rescuers in danger.


    In turn, the Health Minister Sorina Pintea has called on
    the public health departments to be ready to cope with the special situations
    that may emerge under bad weather conditions. The bad weather will stay until
    the end of the week and will mostly affect southeastern Romania, where the
    strong wind will amplify the cold, says Elena Mateescu, head of the National
    Meteorological Administration:


    Only on Monday and
    Tuesday we will see a slight increase in temperatures, of 6 to 10 degrees
    Celsius in most regions and 14 or 15 degrees in the south, with precipitations
    likely to be present in the second half of the week.


    Experts with the General
    Inspectorate for Emergency Situations have warned that after this cold snap, we
    should brace for another extreme weather phenomenon – flooding. The Danube’s water level is on the rise, so
    authorities have decided to suspend ferryboat transit at the Bechet border
    checkpoint between Romania and Bulgaria due to the high water level and the
    flooding of the access way to the ferry.





  • March 18, 2018 UPDATE

    March 18, 2018 UPDATE

    WEATHER – Several road segments were closed down Sunday afternoon in the south and south-east of Romania, because of the freezing rain and black ice. Traffic was also disrupted in Bucharest. The freezing rain prevented take-offs on the countrys main airport, Otopeni – Henri Coanda, while the airport landing strips were treated with anti-icing substance to enable aircraft to land safely. Until Tuesday, a warning will be in place, against moderate sleet and snow falls, black ice and extremely low temperatures.




    DEFENCE – This years first meeting of the Supreme Defence Council, chaired by President Klaus Iohannis, will be held on Tuesday. According to the presidential administration, the participants will analyse the work conducted by the Council and relevant institutions in the field of national security in 2017, and will set the main goals for this year. Other topics of interest with respect to national security will also be approached.




    DIPLOMACY – The Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Meleşcanu will take part in Brussels on Monday in the monthly meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council. The main topics are Ukraine, Syria and Iran, the Romanian foreign ministry announced. On the sidelines of the Council meeting, the participants will have an informal lunch on recent developments in the Korean Peninsula, with the South-Korean Foreign Minister, Kang Kyung-wha, at the invitation of the EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini. The FAC will be preceded by an informal meeting over breakfast with the Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Pavlo Klimkin.




    MOLDOVA – Save Romania Union, the second-largest opposition party in Romania, firmly supports the EU accession of the Republic of Moldova, the party president Dan Barna said on Sunday, after a meeting with several mayors from Moldova. At this stage any other statement would be rushed and strictly aimed at gaining political capital, Barna said, hinting at a possible union of Moldova with Romania. Without support from Moldovan citizens, lobbying for such a scenario at EU and international level would be very hard to do, Dan Barna also stressed. He and the vice-president of Save Romania Union Vlad Alexandrescu met on Sunday with a group of mayors from the Republic of Moldova, who signed a symbolic declaration of union with Romania. A former province with a Romanian majority under Tsarist rule, Bessarabia joined Romania at the end of WW1, on March 27, 1918. The USSR re-annexed the province, following an ultimatum in 1940, and part of this territory is todays Republic of Moldova.




    RUGBY – Romanias national rugby team lost on Sunday in Tbilisi against Georgia, 25-16, in the last stage of Rugby Europe International Championship 2018, but it managed to qualify into the 2019 Japan World Cup thanks to a surprising win by Belgium against Spain, 18-10. The score in Brussels enables Romania to stay as no 2 in the REIC standings, which allows direct access to the 2019 World Cup. Romania has taken part in all rugby World Cup editions so far.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)