Climate Romania

Torrid summers, snowy winters, mild and colourful springs and autumns: in Romania, every season has its own charm and character. Its continental climate, which varies from region to region, offers a variety of experiences. In winter, skiing and horse-drawn sleigh rides are yours. Covered by a thick white coat, the landscapes are enchanting. In summer, the Carpathians are ideal for sunny hikes, unless you prefer to bask in the sunshine on the Black Sea. In the mid-season, the Carpathians are ideal for nature lovers, when flowers bloom in abundance in the spring and the forests take on flamboyant hues in the autumn. It is also the best time to explore the Danube Delta. This climate of character can be tumultuous: Romania is regularly affected by severe floods, heat waves and droughts, accentuated by global warming.

Four distinct seasons

Romania is a country with a continental climate, with a rather important thermal amplitude between summer and winter. The former can be stifling, while the latter is long and harsh. Travel is made difficult by the snow, but the landscapes are sublime. Spring and autumn are short and very pleasant. In principle, the best time to visit the country is from May to the end of October.

The climate varies from region to region: winter is milder on the Black Sea coast, but also in Banat and Oltenia. In the west, rainfall is also higher. The Carpathians, on the other hand, remain cool and humid all year round, with the highest rainfall and the coldest temperatures in the country. Maramureș and Bukovina, to the north, also have a wetter and cooler climate than the rest of the country. In the southern plains, it can be very hot in summer. The month of July is nicknamed "the month of the oven". In Bucharest in particular, the thermometer climbs very high. Dobrogea is arid, with little rain, especially the Danube delta, which chases away the clouds. Rainfall is scarce but torrential, and there is plenty of sunshine. The summer is cooler than in the rest of the country.

Average annual temperatures are 8°C in the north, 11°C in the south and only 2°C in the Carpathians. In January, the mercury, at its lowest point, averages around - 2 to - 3 °C. In summer, temperatures are high, especially in Bucharest and in the Câmpia Română, where peaks sometimes reach 40 °C. The coldest city in the country is Miercurea Ciuc, where the annual average does not reach 6 °C.

Annual rainfall does not exceed 700 mm. The periods of heavy rainfall are theoretically May and June, while February is the driest. Summer can also be synonymous with heavy rainfall. Romania is not a particularly windy country, with the exception of the Dobrogea, where wind turbines are in bloom. It is estimated that windless days account for 40% of a year. In winter, however, easterly winds can be violent.

When the climate gets angry

Droughts, floods, cold waves and heat waves: Romania is regularly hit by climatic accidents. For example, during the summer of 2007, for several weeks, an unprecedented heat wave affected the country, with record temperatures of up to more than 44°C. The heat wave now returns almost every summer. Similarly, the cold spell that hit the planet during the winter of 2009 was also strongly felt in Romania, with temperatures as low as -34.5 °C in the departments of Brașov and Covasna. Major floods have also affected the country in recent years: by 2014, 125 villages had been covered by water in less than two days. Also in 2018, several regions were severely affected by floods in the middle of July.

At the same time, several areas in the south of the country, towards Craiova, are affected by desertification. The cereal-growing plains, which have lost large areas of forest, are becoming increasingly arid. As a result, some 100,000 ha are now reportedly covered with sand, earning the region the nickname "the Sahara of Oltenia". A phenomenon accentuated by global warming. This is particularly felt in the Danube Delta and its fragile ecosystem, affecting bird migration and reproduction. Another sign: the delta used to freeze every winter, something that has become quite rare.