Severe storm hits Bucharest, causing floods and disrupting transport

A powerful storm swept through Bucharest on Monday afternoon, June 9, prompting a large-scale emergency response as torrential rain overwhelmed the city’s infrastructure. Several streets and boulevards were flooded, with images shared on social media showing water entering buses and several cars left stranded in flooded roadways.

The National Meteorological Administration (ANM) issued successive orange code warnings for Bucharest and Ilfov, with downpours exceeding 50 liters per square meter in under an hour at the Filaret station and over 42 l/sqm in 30 minutes at Băneasa. In some parts of the city, rainfall temporarily surpassed 120 l/sqm - a level described by utility company Apa Nova as a “once-in-100-years” event, News.ro reported.

Public transport was temporarily disrupted in several parts of the city, though most lines were cleared and restored shortly after the storm subsided.

The Bucharest-Ilfov Emergency Situations Inspectorate (ISU) received over 800 emergency calls by 8 PM, confirming more than 250 incidents requiring intervention. Over 550 firefighters were deployed, including those called in from off-duty shifts, using 56 fire engines, 7 extrication vehicles, and 64 motor pumps to address emergencies ranging from flooded homes and roads to fallen trees.

The Bucharest City Hall coordinated extensive ground interventions to address the storm’s impact, while utility provider Apa Nova said that it mobilized all available crews and equipment, deploying 20 high-pressure cleaners, 62 utility vehicles, 47 pumping units, and more than 300 field workers, with efforts concentrated in some of the hardest-hit areas of districts 4 and 5.

Environment minister Mircea Fechet, caught in the storm near Tineretului Park, described the event as part of a growing pattern of climate-related extremes. “In less than an hour, climate change showed us it’s already here,” Fechet said. “What happened today is not an isolated weather event - it’s another alarm bell in a long series.”

The minister pointed to outdated infrastructure, insufficient green space, and poor urban planning as key vulnerabilities, warning that future storms may be even more destructive unless major investments are made in climate resilience and adaptation.

“We either act now with smart investments in green solutions and education, or we’ll keep counting the damage every time the skies open,” Fechet said.