Romania faces nationwide cold snap with rain, high winds, and mountain snow
Romania will experience a sharp cooling starting Monday, bringing temperature drops of up to 12 degrees Celsius, high winds, rain, and mountain snow across the country through Thursday.
Nationwide temperature drop and warnings
Romania will experience an abrupt weather shift starting on Monday, with temperatures dropping by up to 12 degrees Celsius across the country following late-summer warmth. The National Meteorological Administration (ANM) issued a weather advisory covering the entire country from Monday, 21 September at 10:00 until Thursday, 24 September at 10:00. While Sunday maximum temperatures will reach between 23 and 32 degrees Celsius, polar air will progressively displace the warm conditions from west to east.
- Warm late-summer conditions persist across Romania with maximum temperatures reaching up to 32 degrees Celsius
- ANM nationwide meteorological notice takes effect as cold air enters western, northern, and central regions
- Yellow Code warning begins for high winds in Oltenia, Moldova, and mountain regions
- Cold air covers the entire country as sleet and snow begin at mountain altitudes above 1,700 meters
- Nationwide weather advisory for sharp cooling, rain, and wind concludes
The meteorological service expects daytime maximums on Tuesday and Wednesday to range generally between 14 and 21 degrees Celsius. Intramontane depressions will record nighttime lows falling to 2 degrees Celsius, with temperatures in eastern Transylvania approaching zero degrees Celsius alongside ground frost. Meteorologist Alina Șerban outlined the progression of the incoming air mass.
Cooling will begin on Monday in the west, north, and center. In the south and southeast, temperatures of 28 to 29 degrees will still be recorded, but on Tuesday and Wednesday the cold air will cover all regions. After a weekend warmer than usual for this period, the first part of next week will bring below-normal temperatures.
Rain, mountain snow, and high winds
Precipitation will spread across northern, central, eastern, and southeastern regions before covering the rest of Romania. Rainfall quantities are forecast to reach 10 to 15 liters per square meter generally, with restricted areas accumulating between 20 and 30 liters per square meter. Starting on the night between Monday and Tuesday, mountain zones above 1,700 meters altitude will see precipitation turn into sleet and snow.
- Calafat
- 32 °C
- Craiova
- 31 °C
- Bucharest
- 30 °C
- Timișoara
- 28 °C
- Iași
- 28 °C
- Brașov
- 27 °C
- Cluj-Napoca
- 24 °C
- Constanța
- 23 °C
Alongside precipitation, high winds will affect multiple provinces. ANM issued a Yellow Code warning for wind valid on Monday between 12:00 and 21:00 for Oltenia, central and southern Moldova, the Banat Mountains, and the western Southern Carpathians. Wind gusts in these lower regions will range between 50 and 70 km/h, while mountain ridges above 1,700 meters will record gusts reaching 80 to 90 km/h.
Impact on Bucharest and major cities
Bucharest will transition from summer highs of 28 to 30 degrees Celsius on Monday to noticeably colder conditions on Tuesday and Wednesday. Nighttime showers on Monday will yield 1 to 3 liters per square meter, with afternoon and evening wind gusts reaching 45 km/h. On Tuesday, daytime highs in the capital will fall to 18 to 20 degrees Celsius, accompanied by 5 to 10 liters per square meter of rainfall and winds of 30 to 40 km/h.
Between September 21, 10:00 (Monday) and September 24, 10:00 (Thursday), a weather information notice will be in effect for the municipality of Bucharest for wind intensifications, sharp cooling, and moderate rain.
Wednesday will bring daytime maximums of 20 to 21 degrees Celsius and nighttime lows between 6 and 9 degrees Celsius to the capital city, alongside light showers of 1 to 2 liters per square meter.
Outlook through late September
Other major cities will see similar thermal declines from Sunday highs, which reached 31 degrees Celsius in Craiova, 28 degrees in Timișoara and Iași, 27 degrees in Brașov, 24 degrees in Cluj-Napoca, and 23 degrees in Constanța. Forecasters expect the cold episode to persist through the first half of the week, with temperatures projected to rise slightly and rainfall to diminish toward the following weekend.
