site.btaBad Weather in Romania Cancels Flights, Trains and School Classes, Leaves Thousands Without Power

An orange warning is in effect for Bucharest and 25 counties in Romania due to heavy snowfall and blizzards on Tuesday night, the National Meteorological Administration said on Wednesday. In the capital, the snow cover reached 50 cm.

"It has not snowed this heavily in Bucharest since 2008, when 57 cm fell," meteorologists commented.

Energy Minister Bogdan Ivan told a news conference that 200,000 households across the country were left without electricity and 266 towns were affected. School classes were cancelled in many places in Romania. 

The bad weather also caused flights from Bucharest to Warsaw and Istanbul to be cancelled on Wednesday morning. Twenty trains connecting Bucharest to major cities such as Constanta and Iasi were also cancelled. The port of Constanta is closed. Romanian police have registered about 1,600 calls to the 112 emergency number, three times more than on a normal day. 

The Department for Emergency Situations has issued a series of advisories, the most important being that people should avoid inessential travel. Bucharest Mayor Ciprian Ciucu urged residents not to leave their homes unless absolutely necessary and to refrain from using their cars.