A major snowstorm swept across southern and eastern Romania, disrupting transport nationwide and prompting emergency warnings in the capital on Wednesday morning. Bucharest and the surrounding Ilfov county were among the hardest hit areas, where heavy snowfall was forecast to reach up to 50 cm.

The National Meteorological Administration (ANM) issued nowcasting red warnings for heavy snowfall in Bucharest and Ilfov county valid until 08:20 AM on Wednesday, saying 30-35 cm had already accumulated, Euronews Romania reported. Emergency crews carried out more than 100 interventions in the capital and Ilfov to remove fallen trees and loose construction elements, damaging 40 vehicles.

Air traffic at Henri Coandă International Airport and Bucharest Băneasa operated in conditions of heavy snowfall and strong winds on Wednesday morning, with gusts blowing snow across the ground and complicating airport operations, according to an official update. A total of 58 snow-removal vehicles worked continuously to clear runways, but several flights were cancelled anyway, including LOT services between Warsaw and Bucharest, TAROM flights from Chișinău and Suceava, and Turkish Airlines services to Istanbul. Five aircraft were diverted to other airports such as Varna, Sofia, Cluj, Craiova, and Athens.

Additional delays remained possible due to aircraft de-icing procedures after boarding and difficult ground handling, and passengers were advised to arrive early and check flight status directly with their airline.

Meanwhile, rail traffic was also disrupted on Wednesday morning on main line 300 between Crivina and Brazi after fallen trees damaged overhead power lines, according to News.ro. Trains arriving at and departing from Bucharest’s North Train Station (Gara de Nord) recorded delays of tens of minutes, in some cases of even more than two hours.

The arrivals and departures board at Bucharest’s North Train Station is displayed online - here.

Road transport faced the widest disruption, with police closing sections of major highways. According to the update at 08:00 AM, access routes toward Bucharest on the A1 motorway between km 70 and km 120 in Argeș county were shut, along with the A3 motorway between Bucharest (km 7) and Bărcănești in Prahova county (km 68). Authorities also closed the A7 between Dumbrava in Prahova county and Adjud, and a section of the A0 Bucharest ring road between Afumați and Balotești in Ilfov county.

At the same time, schools switched to online classes in Vrancea, Galați, and Giurgiu counties, and Brăila suspended in-person teaching in most localities except the county capital, News.ro reported.

According to the Emergency Situations Inspectorate, as a result of the forecast weather phenomena, between February 17 at 08:00 AM and February 18 at 06:30 AM, impacts were recorded in 67 localities across 21 counties and Bucharest.

An orange alert for severe winter weather covered 12 counties, valid until Wednesday at noon. The Department for Emergency Situations urged drivers to avoid non-essential travel, warning that rapidly changing conditions could quickly block roads and create risks.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Departamentul pentru Situaţii de Urgenţă)