Romania Faces Historic Cold Snap as Temperatures Plunge to -21°C

Romania experienced its coldest Sunday morning in six decades, according to the National Meteorological Administration. The lowest temperature was recorded in Miercurea Ciuc in central Romania, where thermometers fell to minus 21 degrees Celsius. Several other daily low-temperature records were broken in northern towns including Darabani, Stănca Ștefanești, Gura Porticei, and Oltenița.

In the capital, Bucharest, temperatures reached minus 10°C over the weekend. Emergency services reported nearly 100 injuries caused by slips, falls, and fractures, while nine people suffered hypothermia. Authorities warned that the cold spell is expected to intensify in the coming days, with a yellow warning for hazardous weather issued for Tuesday. Forecasts indicate temperatures will range between minus 8°C and minus 20°C across Romania, with no areas exceeding freezing. The harshest cold will affect Moldova, Transylvania, Dobrudja, eastern Muntenia, and southern Oltenia.

The severe weather has already claimed lives. In Arad County, a driver lost control on an icy road and collided with oncoming traffic, later dying in hospital. PRO TV reported that the road had not been treated with de-icing materials. In Iași, a 45-year-old man was found in an unheated home with a body temperature of 23°C and subsequently died of severe hypothermia in hospital.

Social workers in Izvoarele, a village with a predominantly ethnic Bulgarian population, have been checking on isolated elderly residents. Many have only limited supplies of firewood and have struggled to survive the extreme cold of the past week.