“We don't take into account the time when the thresholds for issuing a code red are met.” New explanations after the 4 am Ro-Alert message

After the citizens of Bucharest were woken last night, at 4.20, by a Ro-Alert message announcing a red code of “heavy snow”, the director of the forecasting department of the National Meteorological Administration (ANM), Florinela Georgescu, explained why the message was issued “first thing in the morning”.

In an intervention on Wednesday at Antena 3 CNN, Florinela Georgescu said that, according to the legislation, the alerts of the Ro-Alert system are issued “when orange or red codes are in force”, thus emphasizing that “it is a matter of procedure”, cites antena3.ro.

The explanations of the ANM representative:

• “First of all, I can tell you what the justification for the code red was, which is that, basically, in less than 6 hours, an amount of snow with a water equivalent greater than the monthly average for the entire month of February fell in Bucharest. So, by 4:00, what was warned in the code orange had already happened, and because it was expected to continue snowing until mid-day today, which it did, that code red was issued, according to our procedures internal”.
• “On the other hand, by law, Ro-Alert system alerts are issued when there are code oranges or reds in effect. So it's a matter of procedure.”
• “The meteorological argument, and the statements that I can assume are those of a meteorological nature, and we do not take into account the time when the thresholds for issuing a code red are met. We do it because it means that there is a degree of risk, a degree of occurrence of consequences of severe weather phenomena.”
• “Sure, the time was more unusual, but, on the other hand, I personally don't think it was bad that we were warned in the morning. We knew what the situation was in the city of Bucharest. It is a very crowded city, we obviously saw the effects of the heavy snowfall, (…) the amount of precipitation was particularly high.”
• “But there are also situations in which, taking into account the risks that such urban congestion can generate, we sometimes lower the thresholds, precisely because we know what can follow.”
• “There were countless situations in which the Ro-Alert messages disturbed a part of the population. On the other hand, there is another part of the population that only benefited from this message, because, however, even at 4:00 in the morning someone was still driving or they were going to have a trip anyway” – said Florinela Georgescu.

Why did the authorities give the Ro-Alert at 4.20 am

The Department for Emergency Situations issued a Ro-Alert message to the residents of Bucharest and Ilfov on Wednesday morning, at 4:20 a.m., informing them that it was a red code. The message caused a lot of backlash on social media because of the timing. “There are socio-professional categories that start moving to work at that time,” the DSU spokesperson explained to HotNews. He offered several explanations for the decision.

“Red code weather warning of heavy snow, expected period of manifestation 18.02.2026, 4:20 – 8:20. Avoid traveling by car in the area! If necessary, use the bypass routes communicated by the authorities”, was the Ro-Alert message sent by the authorities.

Many people complained on social media that they were suddenly woken up by the loud sound of the alarm, which they thought was the wrong time.

HotNews asked Major Bogdan Toma, spokesman for the Department of Emergency Situations, what is the reason for this extreme alert, despite the particularly early morning hour.

The DSU representative gave the example of people who leave early for work, such as STB drivers, and who should not be taken for granted.

“The main reason is characterized by the seriousness of a red code that was predicted to manifest itself at the level of the city of Bucharest and the county of Ilfov. Moreover, there are socio-professional categories that start the journey to work… I give you an example: STB drivers leave their homes at 03.00 a.m., at 02.00 a.m., they move to work. That's one aspect,” Bogdan Toma explained to HotNews.