Radio România Internațional

Tag: snowstorms

  • 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)

  • Bad weather hits Romania

    Bad weather hits Romania

    This past weekend Romania was affected by severe weather. In the mountain areas in the centre and north-east, massive snowfalls were reported, resulting in a significant layer of snow; in the south-east however, especially in Dobrogea and on the seacoast, mixed precipitation was reported, while the wind reached speeds as high as 100 km per hour.



    A total 52 localities in 16 counties were affected by the bad weather, the General Inspectorate for Emergencies Announced. In the counties of Neamţ, Suceava and Vaslui, in the north-east of the country, snowfalls and snowstorms led to the closing of several roads, and the blizzards caused blackouts in several towns and villages.



    In the south-east, the wind was the main problem. On Saturday, Unit 1 of the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant got automatically disconnected from the national power system, and a number of wind turbines stopped working. The Nuclearelectrica National Corporation announced that, as a result of disruptions, the plant produced nearly 1,700 MW less than under usual circumstances.



    The lower electricity output and the damage caused by the wind led to blackouts in scores of places. On Sunday afternoon, around 40,000 consumers in 80 localities in Dobrogea were left without electricity, according to the supplier. Meanwhile, power has been restored for close to 93% of the affected users. The Cernavodă Unit 1 was also re-synched with the national power grid, and has been operating at maximum capacity since Monday morning.



    A special situation was reported in the city of Constanţa. Romanias largest Black Sea port was hit by a serious storm on Saturday night. The wind, blowing at over 100 km/h, tore down roofs, trees, street light posts and electricity poles, and damaged tens of vehicles. In the Tomis Marina, several boats were also damaged, and some of them sank at the pier.



    After this weekends severe weather spell, the National Meteorology Agency forecasts rising temperatures in most of the country, and especially in the south-west and the south, where they would go above the average for this period. Clouds will linger in the northern half of the country, with rainfalls expected in Maramureş, Moldavia, Transylvania, and in small parts of Crișana and Banat. In the mountains, mixed precipitation is forecast. The wind has slowed down, with occasional gusts at high altitudes. (AMP)

  • January 28, 2023

    January 28, 2023

    COOPERATION
    France and the Netherlands are eagerly waiting
    for Romania’s Schengen accession as soon as possible. This is one of the main
    elements in a joint statement on security cooperation signed in Bucharest on
    Friday by the foreign ministers of the 3 countries. The message was also
    highlighted by the Dutch diplomacy chief, Wopke Hoekstra, in the bilateral
    talks with his Romanian counterpart, Bogdan Aurescu. The 2 officials, together
    with the French foreign minister, Catherine
    Colonna,Friday visited the Getica National Joint Training Centre in
    Cincu, where French and Dutch troops are deployed as part of the NATO Battle
    Group created in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In fact, after the
    trilateral talks concerning Moscow’s armed aggression, Catherine Colonna said
    Ukraine must be helped to defend itself, to regain its independence and
    sovereignty. In Bucharest, the foreign officials were also received by
    president Klaus Iohannis and PM
    Nicolae Ciucă.


    CINEMA Two
    Romanian films, ‘Metronome’ by Alexandru Belc and ‘M.R.I.’ by Cristian Mungiu, are
    in the competition of the Gothenburg International Film Festival in Sweden, which
    started on Friday. According to the Romanian Cultural Institute in Stockholm,
    the event brings together around 400 works from around the world every year,
    with 160,000 viewers attending. ‘Metronome’, the debut feature of the director Alexandru
    Belc, is a love story in 1972 communist Romania, and critics describe it as a
    social and historical analysis of a generation forced to live in a society
    marred by suspicion and distrust. Cristian Mungiu’s ‘R.M.N.’ is set in a
    Transylvanian village, where a small factory hires new workers, troubling the
    apparent peace of the locals. The over 40-year old
    film festival in Gothenburg is the most important such event in the
    region.


    SURVEY As many as 80% of Romanian consumers allow the use of their
    personal data for advertising purposes, according to a survey conducted on the
    European Data Protection Day. The latest data in the Survey on the usage of ITC
    in households and by individuals indicate that 1 of 2 Europeans aged between 16
    and 74 do not allow the use of their personal data for advertising purposes
    when using the internet. As many as 46% reported having allowed only restricted
    access to their location or having denied access to their data altogether. The
    countries where the use of personal data for advertising is mostly denied by
    users include the Netherlands (73%), Finland (70%), Denmark and Germany (63%
    each), Spain (62%). At the opposite pole, the lowest rates were reported in
    Bulgaria (10%), Romania (20%), Greece (29%), Slovakia (30%) and Latvia (32%).


    ELECTION
    Petr Pavel looks set
    to win the runoff of the presidential elections in the Czech Republic, ahead of
    ex-PM Andrej Babis, AFP reports. Polling
    stations opened on Friday and close today. Petr
    Pavel, 61, a retired general who held a senior NATO post, is running as an
    independent candidate and has the support of the right-of-centre government. Billionaire
    Andrej Babis, 68, who was the country’s PM between 2017 and 2021, promised to
    force the government to help citizens handle the rising inflation. The winner
    of the vote will replace the controversial Milos Zeman, who had had close ties
    with Moscow before changing course during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.


    WEATHER In Romania, weather experts issued code orange and yellow alerts
    for heavy snowfalls, snowstorms and rainfalls in over 20 counties in the east
    and centre of the country. The bad weather left thousands of households without
    electricity, road, railway and air traffic was disrupted and several national
    and county roads were closed. (AMP)

  • The first snowfall in Bucharest

    The first snowfall in Bucharest

    After spring temperatures of more than 20 degrees C in the south of Romania and a month of January with temperatures much above the normal one for this period of the year, with historic highs reported in several days, winter has finally come. On Wednesday night Romania was affected by snowstorms and snowfalls, meteorologists issuing bad weather alerts for the entire country. 9 counties were under a code red alert for snowfalls and storms, the first and most serious of 2020.



    Hydrologists have also issued or extended alerts for high floods on several rivers. On Thursday morning several roads were closed as well as the highway linking the capital Bucharest to the Black Sea Coast, where the gusts of wind blew away the panels of the roadside parapets that landed on the highway. Maneuvers in all seaports have been suspended due to the snowstorm. Also classes have been suspended in several schools from counties in southern and eastern Romania, where the strong winds exceeded 100 km per hour, blocking the roads.



    The west of the country was also affected by snowfalls. A truck heading for Budapest was overturned by the strong winds in Arad county and in Timis county several uprooted trees fell on a truck. The high winds also blew off house roofs in the city of Timisoara. Bucharest was also faced with strong winds, many trees falling down on cars and roads, which required the intervention of firefighters.



    Trams were blocked due to the thick layer of snow. Also ten of trains running in the south and southeast of the country were cancelled on Thursday morning due to unfavorable weather conditions. Air traffic unfolded according to winter conditions on the airports located in the areas affected by snowstorms. Several flights have been delayed. Also power outages have occurred in hundreds of localities across Romania.



    Meteorologists have announced that the lowest temperature of this year, minus 32 degrees C, was reported on Wednesday night in the northern region of Maramures. Also weather forecasts announce freezing weather after the snowfalls and continued high winds and snowstorms in the mountains. (translation by L. Simion)

  • January 7, 2017 UPDATE

    January 7, 2017 UPDATE

    WEATHER IN ROMANIA – Romania will continue to be affected by extremely cold weather in the next 24 hours as well. The sky will be mostly overcast and snow will be present in a number of regions. Meteorologists have extended the yellow code alert for blizzard until Sunday night, for half of Romanias counties. In the east, southeast and the mountain areas the wind may reach 75 km/hour. Also, a yellow code alert for severe cold is in force until Monday for the entire country, with temperatures expected to drop to minus 16 degrees Celsius during the day and to minus 25 degrees Celsius during the night. Kindergartens, schools and several universities will be closed on Monday and Tuesday in the capital Bucharest and three counties. Two people died in the south-east of the country due to the bad weather. The heavy snowfall left several localities without electricity and the road, rail and air traffic have been disrupted. Tens of national roads have been closed, a number of trains have been cancelled with many others having reported delays. All Black Sea ports have been closed because of the strong wind. The Board of Bucharests Public Transport Authority has been dismissed because of the improper manner in which they have handled the situation.



    WEATHER IN EUROPE – The severe winter weather is affecting a number of European countries, including the south of the continent. In only ten days, the extreme cold killed 10 people in Poland, where temperatures plunged below minus 20 degrees Celsius. In Moscow, minus 30 degrees Celsius were registered on Friday night. A snowstorm paralyzed the Turkish city of Istanbul, while in Bulgaria road and rail traffic was seriously disrupted because of the heavy snowfalls. Ukraine is also in the grip of severe cold and blizzard while Moldova, Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia face weather-related problems as well. Things dont stand better in Western Europe either. A cold front from Scandinavia sent the mercury plummeting in France. In Italy, strong winds are reported in most of the country. In Sicily, a Romanian homeless, aged 45, died in an abandoned building due to winter weather.



    ST. JOHN – Orthodox and Greek Catholic Christians in Romania on Saturday celebrated St. John the Baptists feast day. Called by the Church the Forerunner, St. John foretold the coming of the Messiah in the person of Jesus Christ, whom he later baptized in the waters of Jordan. St. John died a martyr, beheaded for having the courage to scold the Jewish King Herod in public for his debauched marriage to his brothers ex-wife. Nearly 2 million Romanians celebrated their name day on Saturday. Also on Saturday, Russian, Ukrainian, Armenian and Serbian nationals observing the old Julian calendar celebrated Christmas, 13 days later compared to the modern Gregorian calendar.


    NATO – The United States has started to strengthen its military capabilities in Eastern Europe and is transporting military equipment to Romania, Poland and the Baltic states via Germany, Der Spiegel reports. The first military transport has reached the German port of Bremerhaven on Friday. We remind you that in July 2016 NATO decided to consolidate its presence in Eastern Europe with the deployment of thousands of military in Poland and the Baltic states. A multinational allied structure is to be dispatched in Romania. Moreover, NATO has taken over the defensive anti-missile shield that has interception elements in Deveselu, southern Romania.


    GOVERNMENT – The Romanian Government on Friday approved an increase in the national minimum wage from about 280 euros to 320 euro as of February 1. The Government also raised public pensions, with the minimum guaranteed social pensions set to reach 115 euros as of March 1. However, representatives of the Committee for social dialogue have said that the Governments social measures should be doubled by economic measures. The opposition in Parliament and the head of state, Klaus Iohannis, have asked for explanations over how the 3% budget deficit will be maintained, while the Central Bank Governor, Mugur Isarescu, is waiting to see how the 2017 state budget is shaped up.



    TENNIS – The team made up of the Romanian Raluca Olaru and the Ukrainian Olga Savciuk was defeated on Saturday in two sets, 6-1, 7-5 by the Czech Andrea Hlavackova and Shuai Peng of China, in the doubles final of the WTA tournament in Shenzhen, China, with 625,000 dollars in prize money. This is the second WTA final for Olaru and Savciuk after the one in Tashkent in 2008, when they won the title. In Shenzhen, back in 2014, Romanian tennis player Monica Niculescu won the titled together with Klara Koukalova of the Czech Republic, while in 2016 she won the same tournament alongside the American Vania King. Romanias best-ranked tennis player, Simona Halep, number 4 in the world, won the singles tournament in Shenzhen in 2015. (Translated by Elena Enache)

  • January 7, 2017

    January 7, 2017

    WEATHER IN ROMANIA



    Heavy snowfalls and blizzard have been taking Romania in their grip as of Friday. Half of Romanias counties are under a yellow code alert for blizzard, valid until Sunday night. Strong wind is reported in the mountain areas and a new layer of snow is expected to form on Saturday night. Also, a yellow code alert for extremely cold weather is in force until Monday for the entire country, with temperatures expected to drop to minus 16 degrees Celsius during the day and minus 25 degrees Celsius during the night. Kindergartens and schools will be closed on Monday and Tuesday in the capital Bucharest and the neighboring Ilfov county due to the low temperatures. The heavy snowfall left several localities without electricity and the road, rail and air traffic have been disrupted. All Black Sea ports have been closed because of the strong wind. However, air traffic on the Bucharest airports unfolds under normal winter conditions, with no flights being cancelled but with several delays of up to 30 minutes being reported.



    WEATHER IN EUROPE



    Europe is in the middle of a bitter winter blast bringing blizzards and severe cold even in the south of the continent, where the weather is usually milder. In north-eastern Bulgaria the heavy snowfall and strong wind disrupted road and rail traffic. Hungary is also in the grip of a cold wave. In the Republic of Moldova, snowstorms created havoc on the roads. 10 people were killed by the severe cold in Poland, where temperatures stood at minus 20 degrees Celsius. In Moscow, temperatures plummeted to minus 30 degrees. A snowstorm was even reported in Istanbul, Turkey. Things dont stand any better in Western Europe either. A cold front from Scandinavia sent the mercury plummeting in France. In Sicily, a Romanian homeless died because of the cold in an abandoned building. Authorities in all European states have taken measures to accommodate homeless people in order to keep the safe. Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia are also fighting the heavy winter.



    ST. JOHN



    Orthodox and Greek Catholic Christians in Romania are today celebrating St. Johns the Baptists feast day. Called by the Church the Forerunner, St. John foretold the coming of the Messiah in the person of Jesus Christ, whom he later baptized in the waters of Jordan. St. John died a martyr, beheaded for having the courage to scold the Jewish King Herod in public for his debauched marriage to his brothers ex-wife. Nearly 2 million Romanians celebrate their name day today. Also today, Russian, Ukrainian, Armenian and Serbian nationals observing the old Julian calendar celebrate Christmas, 13 days later compared to the modern Gregorian calendar.



    NATO



    The United States has started to strengthen its military capabilities in Eastern Europe and is transporting military equipment to Romania, Poland and the Baltic states via Germany, Der Spiegel reports. The first military transport has reached the German port of Bremerhaven on Friday. We remind you that in July 2016 NATO decided to consolidate its presence in Eastern Europe with the deployment of thousands of military in Poland and the Baltic states. A multinational allied structure is to be dispatched in Romania. Moreover, NATO has taken over the defensive anti-missile shield that has interception elements in Deveselu, southern Romania.



    GOVERNMENT



    The Government of Romania Friday approved an increase in the national minimum wage from about 280 euros to 320 euro as of February 1. According to a news release issued by the Government, the measure will raise the economic growth rate by a rough 0.2% and will encourage employment. At the same time, the document reads, the increase will have a notable social impact, helping to raise living standards and bridging social gaps. The Government also raised public pensions, with the minimum guaranteed social pensions set to reach 115 euros as of March 1. However, representatives of the Committee for social dialogue have said that the Governments social measures should be doubled by economic measures. The opposition in Parliament and the head of state, Klaus Iohannis, have asked for explanations over how the 3% budget deficit will be maintained, while the Central Bank Governor, Mugur Isarescu, is waiting to see how the state budget for 2017 looks like.



    TENNIS



    The team made up of the Romanian tennis player Raluca Olaru and the Ukrainian Olga Savciuk are today playing against the Czech Andrea Hlavackova and Shuai Peng of China in the doubles final of the WTA tournament in Shenzhen, China, with 625,000 dollars in prize money. This is the second WTA final for Olaru and Savciuk after the one in Tashkent in 2008, when they won the title.

  • January 19, 2016 UPDATE

    January 19, 2016 UPDATE

    WEATHER– After snowstorms at the weekend, Romania is facing a cold snap until Thursday, meteorologists say. On Wednesday, temperatures will drop to minus 25 degrees Celsius, whereas the highs of the day will not exceed plus 2 degrees Celsius. In another move, railroad traffic is further disrupted in the south and southeast of the country, the areas the most affected by heavy snowfalls and blizzard at the weekend. Several villages have been left without electricity.



    DIPLOMACY – Romanian Prime Minister, Dacian Ciolos, will pay a two-day official visit to Paris, as of Wednesday. He is due to meet President Francois Hollande, Prime Minister Manuel Valls, and the speakers of the two Chambers of the French Parliament, Gérard Larcher and Claude Bartolone, respectively. The talks will focus on the privileged relations between Romania and France, on stepping up the projects in the roadmap of the bilateral strategic partnership, on improving economic relations and strengthening contacts between the business communities, as well as important topics on the European and international agenda, such as terrorism, migration and the EU security policy. Other focal points of the talks will include Romanias Schengen accession, the forthcoming report of the European Commission under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism, as well as cooperation as part of Bucharests preparations to take over the presidency of the EU Council. Ciolos will also meet with representatives of the Romanian community in France and with CEOs and managers of important French companies. France is the fifth largest foreign investor in Romania.



    SPECIAL PENSIONS – Romanias Constitutional Court on Wednesday will debate the notification submitted by the technocratic cabinet in Bucharest on the special pensions law for elected local officials. According to the government, the law adopted in December would run counter to several articles in the Constitution, by instating a special regime of privileges for certain elected local officials. Furthermore, the government contests the retroactive granting of special rights and draws attention to the lack of budget resources. Over 16,000 potential beneficiaries, mayors, deputy mayors, presidents and vice-presidents of County Councils, are to receive special pensions ranging from 350 to1,500 Euros.



    ECONOMY– Romania is the third EU member state to register, in November 2015, the most significant increase in the volume of construction works, as compared to the same period of 2014. According to the data released on Tuesday by the European Statistics Office, Eurostat, Romania registered an increase of 6.8%, being outclassed only by Slovakia and Sweden. In November 2015, the volume of construction works at EU level increased by 1.9%, on an average, Eurostat also shows.



    SPORTS – The Romanian player Alexandra Dulgheru (no. 61 WTA) has qualified to the second round of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, after defeating the Australian Storm Sanders (no. 355 WTA) 6-4, 6-2. Three other Romanian players lost their games in the first round. World no. 2 Simona Halep was surprisingly defeated by Chinas Shuai Zhang (133 WTA), Irina Begu (31 WTA) was outperformed by the Swedish Johanna Larsson (50 WTA), and Andreea Mitu (96 WTA) was defeated by the German Julia Gorges (45 WTA). Another Romanian player, Monica Niculescu (no 40 WTA), qualified on Monday to the second round of the tournament, and is to play against the Russian Elizaveta Kulicikova (no 109 WTA).


    (Translated and edited by Diana Vijeu)

  • January 19, 2016

    January 19, 2016

    WEATHER – After snowstorms over the weekend, Romania is facing a cold stint until Thursday. Last night temperatures dropped to minus 21 degrees in the centre and south of the country, while in the capital city Bucharest they reached minus 17 degrees. Temperatures will fall even more in the days to come in most parts of the country. On the other hand, road and railway transport is still disrupted in the south and south east, the areas the most affected by the heavy snowfalls and the blizzards of the past weekend. Several roads are still closed, including part of the motorway connecting the capital city to the Black Sea. Eight villages have reported power outings, and schools and kindergartens in several counties in the south-east remain closed down today.



    DIPLOMACY – The Romanian PM, Dacian Cioloş, will be on an official visit to Paris on Wednesday and Thursday. He will have meetings with President François Hollande, with PM Manuel Valls and with the speakers of the two Chambers of the French Parliament, Gérard Larcher and Claude Bartolone. The talks will focus on the privileged relations between Romania and France, on stepping up the projects in the Roadmap of the bilateral strategic partnership, on improving economic relations and strengthening contacts between the business communities, as well as important topics on the European and international agenda, such as terrorism, migration and the EU security policy. Other topics will also be approached, such as Romanias Schengen accession, the forthcoming report of the European Commission under the Cooperation and Verification mechanism, as well as cooperation as part of Bucharests preparations to take over the presidency of the EU Council. Ciolos will also meet with representatives of the Romanian community and with managers of important French companies. France is the fifth largest foreign investor in Romania.



    EU – The PM of Poland, Beata Szydlo, will be in Strasbourg today for talks in the European Parliament regarding Warsaws observance of the rule of law. The controversial measures of the ruling Conservative Party, which strengthened its control over the judiciary and the mass media, generated tensions between Poland and the EU. The European Commission initiated an unprecedented inquiry to establish whether Poland still complies with the European democracy standards. Yesterday in Brussels, the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, discussed the matter with the head of the European Council, his former political opponent, Donald Tusk, and with the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, in an attempt to ease tensions. Whereas Donald Tusk said an aggressive tone in the dialogue between Brussels and Warsaw should be avoided, the head of the Polish State said his country would never turn its back on Poland, but emphasised that the EU must respect Poland in its turn.



    ECONOMY – The growth rate of the Chinese economy in 2015 slowed down to 6.9%, the lowest since the 3.9% rate of 1990, Beijing announced today. China confirmed the slow-down of the worlds second-largest economy in spite of the growth in services, which last year, for the first time, accounted for more than a half of Chinas GDP of nearly 10,300 billion US dollars. The figures announced by the National Statistics Bureau in China for last year are significantly below the 7.3% reported for 2014. The authorities emphasized that the growth rate in 2015 was a “hard-won one, and added that the structural adjustment of the economy has reached a critical stage. Most indicators dropped in 2015, from the industrial output, undermined by over-capacities, to the real estate sector and to foreign trade, previously a traditional growth engine for the Chinese economy.



    SPORTS – The Romanian player Alexandra Dulgheru (no. 61 WTA) has qualified in Melbourne today to the second round of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, after defeating the Australian Storm Sanders (no. 355 WTA) 6-4, 6-2. Also today, three other Romanian players lost their games in the first round. World no. 2 Simona Halep was surprisingly defeated by Chinas Shuai Zhang (133 WTA), Irina Begu (31 WTA) was outperformed by the Swedish Johanna Larsson (50 WTA), and Andreea Mitu (96 WTA) was defeated by the German Julia Gorges (45 WTA). Another Romanian player, Monica Niculescu (no 40 WTA), qualified on Monday to the second round of the tournament, and is to play against the Russian Elizaveta Kulicikova (no 109 WTA).