Flood alerts almost double in 2025 against 2019; three tornado alerts in 2025 (analysis)
Official RO-ALERT data shows a concerning increase in extreme weather events, with authorities issuing three tornado alerts in the first seven months of this year alone, compared to a total of five such alerts between 2019 and 2024, according to an analysis by Greenpeace Romania.
The RO-ALERT data for the period 1 January 2019 - 31 July 2025 also reveals that the number of flood alerts has nearly doubled in 2025 compared to 2019 (+72 cases, +93.5%), while storms remain the most frequent extreme event (+52 cases, +12.4%).
'Climate change is intensifying the severity of extreme weather events. A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture and increases the energy that fuels storms. As a result, storm-related weather phenomena become more intense: larger hail, heavier rainfall over short periods, stronger wind gusts. If we do not invest now in adaptation, from modernising infrastructure and building more resilient critical networks to impact-based warnings, the economic and social costs will continue to rise. The time to act is not in 10 years, it is now,' said Bogdan Antonescu, physicist and atmospheric science expert, quoted in the analysis.
According to the data analysed, flood alerts increased from 77 in 2019 to 149 in 2025 (+93.5%), showing a steady upward trend over the six-and-a-half-year period.
In the case of storms, there were 421 alerts in 2019, compared to 473 in 2025 (+12.4%), again indicating a rising trend.
The total number of tornado alerts reached eight between 2019 and 2025, with three issued in the first seven months of 2025 alone.
Greenpeace Romania notes that 645 alerts were registered in the first seven months of 2025, and statistical projections estimate a total of 1,105 alerts by year-end, nearing the record high of 1,159 alerts in 2023. Storms are the most frequent phenomenon (4,004 alerts during the analysed period), followed by floods (762). The counties with the most alerts between 2019 and 2025 are: Bacau (236), Tulcea (129), Maramures (124), Alba (122).
At the opposite end, counties with the fewest alerts include: Teleorman (5), Giurgiu (5), Olt (8), Calarasi (12).
In 2025, the county with the highest number of alerts up to 31 July was Harghita, with 26 alerts, nearly one every eight days.
In this context, Greenpeace Romania is calling on national and local authorities to take urgent action to counteract the devastating impact of fossil fuels on the climate crisis.
'Romania must ensure a rapid and fair transition to locally produced and owned renewable energy sources, as well as implement nature-based adaptation measures, such as restoring wetlands, reforestation, protecting riverbanks and rehabilitating floodplains. These solutions help reduce flood risks and enhance community resilience,' the organisation's specialists argue.
The analysis by Greenpeace Romania is based on data provided by authorities (RO-ALERT database from 2019 to 31 July 2025), including annual summaries by weather phenomenon type and individual alert records. The county rankings were based on the 'Alert Initiator' field (county emergency inspectorate codes), excluding national initiators (ANM, DSU, IGSU).
Greenpeace Romania is an independent environmental organisation that has been active in Romania since 2007. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Oana Tilica; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)
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