Residents of southern Romanian town see tornado funnel forming

Residents of Dolj county in southern Romania posted videos of what looks to be a tornado funnel forming in the sky on Sunday evening, August 21.

The footage, which shows a gray funnel traveling across the sky and reaching down toward the ground, was captured in the vicinity of Albeşti, a small town in Dolj. Other examples of extreme weather phenomena have also been recorded in Dolj recently, according to News.ro.

The county’s most important city, Craiova, was devasted by a storm in early July of this year. The storm lasted one hour and triggered a red code. It also made 500 people call emergency services for aid. Also in early July, more than a dozen roofs were damaged by strong winds in the same city. Two dozen trees were felled on the street or in pedestrian areas, and more than 50 cars were damaged.

There were several other cases of tornadoes damaging property or causing injuries in the last few years. Drajna, a small town in southern Romania, was hit by a tornado in May 2019. Eight people were injured after the strong gushes of wind toppled a bus.

Romania is not often impacted by tornadoes. During the socialist period (1945-89), it was believed that tornadoes do not occur in Romania, and very few were recorded as a result. Between 1990 and 2013, 89 tornadoes were reported, mostly in the east, south, and southeast of the country. The majority took place between May and July, with a peak in May, according to one study on the topic.

The only tornado officially recorded in Romania in recent years hit Facaeni village in Ialomita county, near the Danube, in August 2002. The tornado damaged over 400 houses and completely destroyed 30, killing a woman and her child.

(Photo source: Facebook Meteoplus)