“We do not rule out issuing code red.” ANM chief, last minute announcement after the orange code came into force

The director of the National Meteorological Administration (ANM), Elena Mateescu, said, in an intervention on Antena 3 CNN, that the institution does not rule out a possible increase in the degree of alert, after 12 counties and Bucharest came under a code orange weather alert.

• “Severe winter episode”. 12 counties and Bucharest are under orange blizzard code. The main events, LIVETEXT HERE.

“The orange code remains for the 12 counties, including the city of Bucharest, but considering the intensity of the phenomena and the area of ​​expansion, we must never exclude that, if the dynamics of the phenomena will require an increase in the degree of alerting, we should not do it,” said Elena Mateescu, live on Antena3-CNN.

The head of ANM explained that, currently, the areas under code orange are at the “upper limit of the wind speed criteria”.

“Through the orange code, we are at the limit of the wind speed of 85 km/h, especially in Vrancea, Galați, Buzău, Brăila and Călărași. Colleagues are monitoring carefully,” she stated.

Elena Mateescu added that, if developments in the field require it, a nowcasting code red warning could be issued. A nowcasting warning is a weather warning issued for a shorter period of time.

“If it is found, from the situation that we are also monitoring on the ground, we do not rule out issuing a code red nowcasting warning, on an anticipation level of zero to six hours,” said the head of the National Agency for National Security.

The orange code for blizzard and heavy snow came into force on Tuesday, at 20:00, for Bucharest and 12 counties in the south and east of the country.