The yellow code for severe weather “may turn tomorrow morning” orange, announced the head of ANM. What it says about RO-Alert messages

The director of the National Meteorological Administration (ANM), Elena Mateescu, said on Friday evening, on Antena 3 CNN, that it is not excluded that the Yellow Snow Code warning, in force in Bucharest and in 16 counties, will be updated and turn, tomorrow morning, into an Orange Code.

On Friday morning, meteorologists issued a new warning of severe weather, with snow, blizzard and a new layer of snow in Bucharest and 16 other counties, valid until Sunday morning, after, on the night of February 17 and 18, Bucharest and several counties in the south and east of the country were hit by a severe winter episode. In the Capital and Ilfov, at 04.20, a RO-Alert message was issued for red code of blizzard snow

“We have a Code Yellow warning this time and if you notice, it's about the same area of ​​interest as the previous episode, but a Code Yellow confirming that we're not at the intensity of the previous episode at this point.

There are 16 counties in the south-eastern part of the country, including the city of Bucharest, from 12:00 p.m. until Sunday morning, at 10:00 a.m. What does it mean? We will have strong wind intensifications. We already feel these speeds outside, including in the Capital 60-70km/h.

Snow layer at the end of the variable episode, on average up to 20, possibly 25cm and very low temperatures, because already the maximums in the areas where we are talking about the cold air mass, such as even the depressions in the east of Transylvania, Moldova, but also in the southeast area, will drop to minus 3.2 degrees Celsius, and the minimums will characterize a frosty night”, said Elena Mateescu.

Possible upgrade to Code Orange

The head of ANM emphasized that an update of this Yellow Code cannot be ruled out overnight.

“25 inches right now doesn't warrant a Code Red alert, but it's possible tomorrow morning, if the materials indicate, depending on what happens tonight, sure, yes, we can fine-tune, as we always do, at least with immediate severe weather nowcasting warnings, especially for wind intensifications. The wind will be strong and even 20 inches, there will be heavy blizzards, snow will be blizzard already over the existing layer and we have areas in the south-eastern part of the country, including in the Capital, it will mean strong blizzard in certain periods, when the wind intensity will be very high”, explained Mateescu.

A nowcasting warning is a weather warning issued for a shorter period of time.

The alerts, sent via RO-Alert regardless of the time

If a Red Code is reached, those affected will be warned by Ro-Alert, regardless of the time, added Elena Mateescu.

“We have to think that we will take it progressively. Increasing the level of alert would mean, at this moment, possibly a nowcasting Code Orange in certain areas where the wind may exceed 70-80km/h or the snow cover at certain limits as well. It is a standard procedure. It is automatically transmitted to the Department for Emergency Situations. The Department of Emergency Situations issues the RO-ALERT message. It is a procedure at the level of the European Union, it is a procedure at the level international because the World Meteorological Organization also recommends and even discussed these days the new programs through which the Common Alert Protocol is a protocol through which meteorological alerts are transmitted, taken according to the flow from the national meteorological services and disseminated to manage the emergency situations generated by these types of phenomena”, stated the head of the ANM

“In the end, I don't think prevention has to take into account the time. If we save a life when we issue such a code and such an alert as a means of prevention for us, it means that we have fulfilled our mission,” Mateescu pointed out.

Elena Mateescu added that although warmer weather is coming, new winter episodes cannot be ruled out in March or even April.

“We must not rule out this possibility. The data update for the period February 23-March 23 shows a warmer week than usual in the western half, on average, thermal deviations of 3.5 – 4.5 degrees Celsius, but we must never rule out the possibility of another winter storm, because we have. Statistics have shown it to us in March, even in April. In mid-April, the air circulation in the season of transition through the positioning of the baric centers is in an accentuated dynamic, which can bring and surprise these phenomena”, said the director of the ANM on Antena 3 CNN.