Mediterranean cyclone reaches Romania: rain, strong wind and mountain snow warnings until Wednesday
A cyclone that formed over the Mediterranean and brought heavy rain and flood risk to Bulgaria, Greece and southern Italy is moving over Romania. The National Meteorological Administration (ANM) has issued yellow warnings for strong wind across most of Muntenia and Dobrogea and for heavy rain in Călărași, Ialomița and Constanța, while snow is settling in the mountains above 1,700 metres. Rainy, windy weather is forecast until Wednesday evening.
The wind warning (code yellow) is valid from Monday, 2 November, at 08:00 until Tuesday at 10:00 for most of Muntenia and Dobrogea, with gusts of 50 to 70 km/h. A second code yellow, from Monday at 10:00 until Tuesday at 10:00, covers Călărași, Ialomița and Constanța counties, where 25 to 35 litres of rain per square metre are expected, and locally more than 40. A code orange for heavy rainfall in the west of the Southern Carpathians and the hills of Oltenia, where 50 to 70 l/sq m and 20 to 40 cm of snow at altitude were forecast, ran until Monday at 10:00, alongside a code yellow for rain in Dolj, Olt and the lower areas of Mehedinți, Gorj and Vâlcea and southern Hunedoara.
An ANM weather notice valid until Wednesday, 4 November, at 20:00 says moderate rain will continue in Oltenia, Muntenia and Dobrogea, with 30 to 50 l/sq m in total. Above about 1,700 metres, especially in the Southern Carpathians, precipitation will fall mostly as snow, with a layer of 10 to 30 cm. The wind will pick up in the south and south-east, and on Wednesday in the east, at 40 to 50 km/h, with gusts of 60 to 80 km/h on the mountain ridges, causing blizzards.
Climatologist Roxana Bojariu told Digi24 that Mediterranean cyclones are normal for this time of year, but are becoming more frequent and are bringing heavier rain because a warmer atmosphere holds more water vapour. She advised people to follow short-term forecasts and official sources such as ANM, as long-range forecasts are based on averages and probabilities.