The weather will remain very hot in most regions on Wednesday and Thursday, and the temperature-humidity index will surpass the critical threshold of 80 units. Meteorologists have announced that heat discomfort will be significant in Bucharest too. National Meteorology Administration (ANM) Director Ion Sandu stated that the Timis, Arad, Bihor and Satu Mare counties will be under an amber weather warning for heat on Wednesday too, unlike counties in eastern Romania, and the possibility of upgrading it to a severe warning on Wednesday is not ruled out.
Over 20 people collapsed in public areas in Bucharest on Monday, the first day of the heat wave, the Bucharest-Ilfov Ambulance Service (SABI) supplementing its crews and deploying volunteers at heat-relief tents, as stated by SABI Manager Alis Grasu.
SABI received 847 calls on Monday, 411 of which were urgent cases. Of those, 63 were cases of collapse.
SABI has already supplemented its number of ambulances by 7 vehicles during the day shift and by 2 vehicles during the night shift.
On Tuesday the ambulance service deployed 8 extra vehicles and 10 SABI volunteers manned special heat-relief tents.
Several first aid points and 20 heat-relief medical tents were set up in Bucharest, according to the Bucharest City Hall.
The heat wave grew stronger on Tuesday and enveloped most of the country.
An amber weather warning has been issued for Wednesday in Timis, Arad, Bihor, Satu Mare, Maramures, Salaj, Cluj, Bistrita-Nasaud, Alba, Hunedoara, Caras-Severin, Neamt, Bacau, Galati, Vaslui, Iasi and Botosani counties. A moderate weather warning has been issued for the rest of the country.
The highs will frequently reach 35-38 degrees Celsius, while the temperature-humidity index will surpass the critical threshold of 80 units throughout the country.
On Wednesday afternoon the highs will reach 39 degrees Celsius in Banat, Crisana, Maramures, western and northern Transylvania and in most of Moldavia, and the heat discomfort will be severe, ANM warns.
Interim Premier Gabriel Oprea asked all competent authorities on Monday to take the necessary measures in order to prevent possible problems that the population might face during the period for which weather warnings have been issued.
