Radio România Internațional

Tag: Snow

  • Genuine winter in Romania

    Genuine winter in Romania

     

    The weather conditions in mid-February bring the first spell of genuine winter in several parts of the country. The National Meteorological Administration has issued a yellow-code warning for snowfall and snowstorms, valid until Wednesday morning, in counties in the southern half of Romania and in the capital city Bucharest.

     

    It will snow moderately and a layer of snow will form, generally 10-20 cm thick. Temporarily, the wind will reach up to 45 km/h, blowing the snow. Also until Wednesday, a yellow-code extreme cold warning is in place in 18 counties in the northern half of the country. In these regions, as well as in the mountains, the weather will be particularly cold, and during the nights and mornings it will be freezing, and the minimum temperatures will generally be between 16 and 10 degrees below zero.

     

    The weather stays particularly cold in Bucharest as well, with negative highs ​​and snowfalls that will bring a substantial layer of snow. The Bucharest City Hall announced that it is ready to use over 300 snowploughs.

     

    Road traffic is slowed down in several counties, but no national roads or highways have been closed due to weather conditions. Snow has fallen on the road, which is why traffic police recommend that drivers be very careful and observe all traffic rules. In addition, drivers are advised not to set off if their cars are not equipped for winter. The deputy chief of the Road Police, Bogdan Oproiu:

     

    Bogdan Oproiu: “We should have a preventive conduct while driving, we should be more tolerant in traffic. We recommend that drivers check the condition and type of their tires, drive at a constant speed, adapted to the weather conditions, and also keep a greater distance in traffic from other cars, in order to be able to stop safely.”

     

    Air traffic is also affected by the weather, but within normal parameters, according to flight plans, at the two airports near Bucharest. Equipment is constantly being used to keep the surface in optimal operating conditions, but some flights may experience delays as the aircraft needs de-icing, which is carried out after passengers board, the Bucharest National Airports Company explained.

     

    Rail traffic is also open on all railway lines in Romania, and train circulation is adapted to the unfavourable weather conditions, the National Railway Company reports. According to the company, before setting off passengers are urged to seek information about traffic conditions from passenger railway transport operators.

     

    Meteorologists warn that the weather will be cold throughout the country until the end of the week. There will be extremely cold nights and mornings, at first in the north of the country and in depressions, then elsewhere as well, and during the day there will be mostly below-zero temperatures. (AMP)

  • January 9, 2025 UPDATE

    January 9, 2025 UPDATE

    AID During the meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, also known as the Ramstein Group, the US Secretary of Defence, Lloyd Austin, on Thursday announced an additional $ 500 million military aid package for Ukraine, which is probably the last offered by the Biden administration before the country’s new president, the Republican Donald Trump takes over on January 20. A fresh military aid for Ukraine has been announced by Germany’s Defence Minister, Boris Pistorius, who has also suggested a possible re-thinking of the Ramstein format in case Trump wants to reduce the US involvement. This has been the 25th meeting of the aforementioned group set up to coordinate the arms supplies to Ukraine, a meeting also attended by NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, who has criticized Russia for carrying on attacks against innocent civilians in Ukraine. The meeting was also attended by the head of the European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, who said the EU was ready to take the lead on supporting Ukraine if the United States was no longer willing. President Trump has pledged talks with both the Russian and Ukrainian presidents, but hasn’t provided solutions for the war in Ukraine yet.

     

    WEATHER Temperatures will significantly drop in the regions surrounded by the Carpathians, whereas in the rest of the Romanian territory they will slightly go down as compared to the previous period. The sky will be overcast in the country’s west, center and north. The western regions are bracing up for more showers, whereas gale force winds and snow storms are expected in the mountains. The highs of the day will be between 5 and 15 degrees Celsius.

     

    ELECTION The parties in the ruling coalition in Romania, namely the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, as well as the representatives of national minorities, have agreed that the first round of the presidential elections will take place on May 4, and the second round on May 18. The coalition also confirmed their nomination of the former Liberal leader Crin Antonescu as their joint candidate for president. In the meantime, the Bucharest Court of Appeal has published its justification for its rejection, on December 31, of a legal action against the Central Electoral Bureau in connection with the annulment, last year, by the Constitutional Court, of the electoral process for the election of president.

     

    VISIT During his trip to Romania, Stéphane Séjourné, executive vice-president of the European Commission, responsible for prosperity and industrial strategy, on Thursday visited a Romanian factory producing last-generation lithium-ion batteries and customised energy storage systems for sectors and businesses from all over Europe. The visit was an opportunity to present the indispensable role played by batteries in the decarbonisation of supply chains in Europe. Séjourné also discussed the challenges facing the batteries sector, as well as Europe’s response in this regard. The EU official also visited the National Aerospace Research and Development Institute, the main research centre in the field of aerospace science in Romania. That was an opportunity to discuss China’s unfair competition in the drone market and the increasingly relevant use of drone technologies in both civilian and military applications. On Wednesday, the European official met the minister for economy, digitalization, entrepreneurship and tourism Bogdan-Gruia Ivan, as well as Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and senate speaker Ilie Bolojan.

     

    TENNIS The Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea will be facing Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in the first round of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, which will get under way on Monday, in Melbourne. Irina Begu will be playing qualifier Gabriela Ruse in the first round. Jaqueline Cristian, who went straight into the main draw, will face Croatia’s Petra Martic in the first round. Qualifier Anca Todoni will play world number five and last year’s Melbourne finalist Qinwen Zheng, of China, in the opening round.

    (bill)

  • Romania in the grips of winter

    Romania in the grips of winter

    Most of Romania was faced at the weekend with snow, rain and blizzard. A layer of snow was deposited, including in the capital Bucharest, much to the childrens delight. This used to be a normal occurrence in Romania in winter, but has become rarer due to global warming. A number of cars were damaged as trees fell due to the snowfall. Travel took place in wintry conditions on most roads across the country, and the authorities have dispatched snow removal vehicles and used anti-icing agents to clean the roads. National roads and motorways were mostly open for travel and no weight restrictions were in place, despite the unfavourable weather. Motorists were advised to check travel conditions before setting out, to equip their cars with winter tyres and to slow down when travelling on roads covered by snow using the engine brake.



    Railway travel also took place in wintry conditions, but without major problems. Many trains were, however, delayed as tracks broke because of low temperatures. The Bucharest National Airport Company announced that planes landed and took off safely and no flight had to be cancelled because of the weather. Some flights were delayed because of preparations to de-ice the aircraft after passengers got on board. Mountain rescue services received more calls than usual requesting emergency intervention. More than a hundred people were rescued in the mountains, some cases requesting the use of helicopters.



    A series of rivers in the north of the country saw their flow and levels rise because of flash floods in the mountains. The level of the river Danube is also expected to go up towards the end of the week, to exceed the multiannual average for the month of January. Hydrologists are in fact expecting that the maximum flow of the river will be almost double the average for this time of the year.



    The neighbouring Bulgaria was also in the grips of winter, with orange and yellow codes for severe weather in place there. Earlier, Germany also struggled with snow and blizzard, and Storm Isha is wreaking havoc in the north and west of Europe. In the United States, at least 90 people died as their country was hit by terrible winter storms over the past week. Most deaths were recorded in Tennessee and Oregon as a result of ice storms. Dozens of thousands of residents were without electricity in some regions and the extreme weather is expected to continue to affect America until the middle of the week. (CM)


  • January 8, 2024

    January 8, 2024

    LAWS Parliament is due to
    convene for a new session in Bucharest on February 1. Until then, the Romanian
    MPs are working on a couple of new legislative initiatives focusing, among
    other things, on regulating gambling activities and curbing drug consumption.
    The new amendments include several measures such as the relocation of casinos
    and betting houses outside towns and cities, limiting gambling commercials and
    banning these commercials near schools, parks or hospitals. According to the
    initiators of the aforementioned bills, some of them introduced as early as
    2022, the amendments come against the background of the latest expert warnings
    on the younger generation’s alarmingly growing addiction to gambling and drug consumption
    as well as their vulnerability to various advertising campaigns in the field.
    Drug trafficking is punishable with up to 10-year jail sentences. Other draft
    laws include the measure of banning the minors’ access to energy drinks and
    limiting commercials to vape products and accessories.






    TENNIS Romanian tennis
    player Ana Bogdan on Monday qualified for the round of sixteen of the WTA 500
    tournament in Adelaide, Australia with over 900 thousand dollars in prize
    money. The Romanian secured a 6-3, 6-4 win against Katie Boulter of Britain.
    Also on Monday the all-Romanian pair Ana Bogdan/Monica Niculescu was defeated
    by the US-Dutch pair Asia Muhammad/Demi Schuurs 7-6, 6-4 in the doubles first
    round.






    INVESTMENT
    According to data released by the National Institute for Statistics, in the first
    nine months of 2023, Romania’s construction sector reported over 74 billion lei
    worth of investment, which accounts for 62.6% out of the total investment in
    the country’s economy. In the aforementioned period, investment in Romania’s
    national economy stood at roughly 118.5 billion lei, a 14.4% rise as compared
    to the period between January and September 2022.


    SCHOOL Students have today
    resumed classes in the third module of the school year here in Romania. The
    next students’ holiday is to be decided by county inspectorates and most likely
    will kick off on February 19th. In another development, against the
    background of a new wave of respiratory infections, medical authorities are
    urging parents not to send their children to school if they show any symptom of
    a respiratory disease.






    WEATHER The weather
    gets cooler and cooler in almost all the Romanian regions and even snowfalls have
    been reported in the mountains and some eastern regions. The snow layer is
    expected to reach over 15-20 centimeters in the country’s north-eastern regions.
    Mixed precipitations have been reported in the center, south and south-east and
    the wind will intensify in Romania’s eastern and south-eastern regions. The
    highs of the day are ranging between -7 and + 7 degrees Celsius.


    (bill)

  • The first episode of winter

    The first episode of winter

    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.


  • March 19, 2018 UPDATE

    March 19, 2018 UPDATE

    WEATHER – Weather remains extremely cold in Romania, as meteorologists have issued a code yellow warning for sleet, snow falls, black ice and gusts of wind, valid until Tuesday afternoon. The warning concerns 19 counties in the west, south-west, south and south-east, as well as the capital city Bucharest. Over the past days snow falls have disrupted railway, road and air traffic, and several towns and villages in the south of the country experienced blackouts.




    JUSTICE LAWS – The special parliamentary committee on the justice laws Monday endorsed some of the changes requested by the Constitutional Court. These include by-passing the president of the country in the procedure for appointing and dismissing the chiefs of the High Court of Cassation and Justice, and transferring this role to the Higher Council of Magistracy. Also, the head of state is no longer entitled to reject nominations for trainee judges and prosecutors. According to Radio Romanias correspondent, the committee will carry on debates on the 3 justice laws on Tuesday. After all drafts have been brought in line with the Constitutional Court decisions, Parliament will cast a final vote.





    WORLD BANK – The partnership between the Government of Romania and the World Bank may be strengthened in the coming years, through joint infrastructure development projects, deputy prime minister Viorel Ştefan said. According to a news release issued by the Government, on Monday he had a meeting with a World Bank delegation headed by Tatiana Proskuryakova, country manager for Romania and Hungary, in the context of consultations for the forthcoming Partnership Framework, 2018 – 2023. On June 14, the document will be submitted for approval by the WB Board.




    FLU – In Romania, the number of deaths caused by the flu has reached 104, the National Centre for Infectious Disease Monitoring and Control announced on Monday. According to the Healthcare Ministry, since the start of the season more than 1,400 cases have been confirmed. Over 1,000,000 people have received flu vaccine shots. Experts do not rate this as an epidemic.





    RUSSIA ELECTION – Vladimir Putin Sunday won his 4th term as president of Russia, with about 77% of the votes. The turnout was over 67%. Observers with the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Monday stated that the election had been well administered, in spite of a lack of genuine competition and of pressure aimed at increasing turnout. Radio Romanias correspondent in the Russian Federation mentions that it was for the first time that Moscow organised elections in Crimea, where Vladimir Putin, who has been running the country for 18 years as either president or prime minister, got over 90% of the votes. Western capitals and Kiev announced they would not recognise the elections in the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014. Vladimir Putin will head Russia for another 6 years, against the background of a highly strained relationship with the West. After the conflict in Syria, the Ukrainian crisis and allegations of Russian interference with Donald Trumps election in the USA, Londons accusations that Moscow poisoned a former Russian agent on British territory put further pressure on these relations.





    UK-RUSSIA – The EU firmly condemns the poisoning in the UK of the former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, and takes extremely seriously Londons assessment that it is highly likely that Russia was behind the attack, reads a joint statement by the EU foreign ministers. The Union is shocked with “the first offensive use on European territory in 70 years of a Soviet-designed military-grade nerve agent, the statement also says, expressing unqualified solidarity with and support for the UK. In turn, on Monday Kremlin urged Britain to either present evidence of its involvement, or apologise. After the UK expelled 23 Russian diplomats and froze bilateral contacts, Russia responded with a similar measure and also shut down the British Council centres on its territory. Last week, the Romanian Foreign Ministry expressed solidarity with Britain.





    THREAT – There are nearly 30,000 radicalised people who represent a potential terrorism threat in Europe at present, the Europol director Rob Wainwright warned on Monday, adding that at any time these might rent a truck and kill innocent people. Wainwright also mentioned the return to Europe of people who have fought in Syria and Iraq as part of jihadist groups like the Islamic State.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Another week of winter in Romania

    Another week of winter in Romania

    In mid March, Romania has again fallen prey to the whims of weather, as temperatures have dropped dramatically as of Saturday, by 10-15 degrees Celsius, way under the normal average this time of the year. Weather experts say that the bad weather will stay the whole week and have warned that, after the yellow warning for heavy rain, wind and low temperatures in place for the eastern half of Romania, rain will gradually turn into drizzle and snow.



    The freezing rain, which has affected Romania every winter in the past years, has produced glaze ice on roads and railways, hampering traffic. Several sectors of national road have been closed because of the glaze. Problems were also reported at the Henri Coanda National Airport, where the freezing rain didn’t allow planes to take off for more than three hours. Airplanes were kept on the ground as defrosting operations were hampered by the extremely aggressive freezing rain, which would cover the planes in ice again in a matter of minutes, making it impossible for them to take off.



    According to the Bucharest Airports Company, the runways were treated with anti-freezing substances, so landing was safe. Railway traffic has also been hampered and trains have been delayed for hours, especially in the south, because the contact wires were covered in glaze, and many electrical engines could not be used.



    The National Road Infrastructure Administration has announced that one thousand special vehicles have been used to spread non-slip substances in order to ensure normal traffic on the road sectors affected by the bad weather. Most problems have been reported in the north of the country, where it has been snowing heavily and the roads have been covered in a thick layer of snow, which could not be removed because of the wind.



    Glaze ice has also affected the capital Bucharest, covering cars, trees, sidewalks and the roads. Hydrologists have issued yellow and orange alerts for flooding, including on the Danube, and have warned that the situation will get even more complicated when temperatures start going up again.

  • 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)

  • December 27, 2016 UPDATE

    December 27, 2016 UPDATE

    REJECTION – Romanian president Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday rejected Sevil Shhaideh, the Social Democrats’ nomination for the position of Prime Minister and called on the majority PSD — ALDE coalition to come up with another nomination. In response, the Social-Democratic leader Liviu Dragnea announced the coalition would make a decision until Thursday adding that the options include the procedure of impeaching the president. Dragnea has accused Iohannis of trying to trigger a political crisis in Romania. The UDMR (Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania), which has a Parliamentary support agreement with the PSD-ALDE coalition said the Social Democrats must come up with another nomination. According to the UDMR leader there are no constitutional reasons for the impeachment of the president and that the UDMR does not agree with such a move. The opposition has hailed the president’s refusal to nominate Shhaideh for the position of Prime Minister. Raluca Turcan, the interim leader of the National Liberal Party has called on the Social Democrats to refrain from threatening the president with impeachment and make another nomination. The former Development Minister, Shhaideh was proposed by the Social Democrats before Christmas during the talks president Iohannis had with the political parties that had made it to Parliament following the December the 11th election. The PSD-ALDE coalition holds 54% of the seats and is backed in the Legislature by the UDMR.



    WEATHER – Romanian meteorologists have issued a code yellow alert for snow and blizzard in all the mountainous regions valid until Thursday. Snow will fall in these regions as well as in the east and southeast. Minimum temperatures will be ranging between – 6 and + 3 degrees Celsius, while the highs will stay between – 2 and + 6 degrees centigrade. Beginning December 29th the weather is expected to become cold and frosty during the night and morning particularly in northern and central Romania.



    TAXES The Senate of Romania on Tuesday rejected a request from president Iohannis to reassess a bill on the elimination of 102 non-fiscal duties, including the radio-TV fee. On December 23rd, the president called on the Legislature to reassess this bill, which had been declared constitutional, for the effects it is going to have on citizens. The move to eliminate the radio-TV fee has attracted a lot of heat from domestic and international media organisations, which argued that it could affect the editorial autonomy of the two public institutions. The Chamber of Deputies is to make a final decision on this law.

  • Romania in the grips of snow

    Romania in the grips of snow

    Romania this week has been
    confronted with the first snowfall of the winter season. Unlike previous years
    however, it did not wreak havoc in terms of road, air, railway and maritime
    traffic. Be that as it may, many people were killed due to the low temperatures
    that in some areas dropped below minus 20 degrees Celsius. Meteorologists on
    Sunday issued a code yellow alert against blizzards for the south and
    southwest. In these areas, the fierce wind made temperatures in the low 20s
    feel even colder.




    Gradually, the cold snap got a grip
    of the entire country, with snowfalls, glazed frost and violent gusts of wind
    reported all across Romania. The freshly fallen snow was layered in drifts
    lower than 10 cm. Road traffic currently unfolds in winter conditions, although
    no roads have been blocked or closed down. Several rail segments are now
    subject to speed restrictions and delays are to be expected, although no trains
    have been cancelled. Air traffic is only slightly affected, with minor delays
    reported for some flights. The activity on the Black Sea ports has been
    temporarily put on hold due to the high winds.




    Also in Bucharest, traffic is slow,
    as many streets and main boulevards are covered in snow, while snowdrifts block
    sidewalks. At the Tuesday meeting of the Winter Command, Bucharest interim
    mayor Razvan Sava asked snow removal contractors to clear the access ways to
    hospitals, medical emergency operators and other buildings of social interest.
    Additionally, Razvan Sava said snowplows would be patrolling the streets,
    including roads carrying less traffic.




    Interior Minister Petre Toba said
    that 6,700 police officers intervened at national level to limit the effects of
    the snowfall, with over 3,300 vehicles, in order to prevent people from getting
    snowed in their cars or exposed to other risks. Additionally, the authorities
    have alerted the population, particularly car owners, as regards traffic on
    public roads. Some 300 fines were given to drivers for failure to observe
    winter traffic regulations, as well as to road administrators, for not clearing
    the roads. 42 people left stranded were rescued and transferred to social
    shelters.




    After the first snow of the winter
    season, the weather forecast for the next 10 days will bring a slight increase
    in temperatures during the day.