At the age of eight, Roberto Popa was measuring snow depth with a carpenter's wooden ruler and recording weather observations in notebooks. Today, at 30, the meteorology enthusiast from the village of Tulca in western Romania provides weather forecasts for residents of Bihor County, warns of extreme weather events, teaches children about atmospheric phenomena and works with the Bihor Emergency Management Inspectorate (ISU), supplying forecasts three to four days in advance.

His fascination with weather began long before he had access to sophisticated forecasting models and digital tools.

'Everything I do comes from passion, and I want to be useful to my community through my dedication. If I had one million euros tomorrow morning, I would invest every cent in meteorology: weather stations, sensors, thermometers and applications. Everything I have achieved so far, including my website, has been financed with my own money. For me, meteorology is not just something I am passionate about, but also a way of helping people,' Popa told AGERPRES on Friday.

He is currently working on a mobile application called Meteo Tulca Bihor, which he hopes to launch next year.

Popa develops his forecasts using data from multiple European and American numerical weather prediction models, accessed through specialised servers. He analyses and interprets atmospheric simulations to produce forecasts tailored to local conditions in Bihor County.

His weather journey started in primary school.

'I used to take thermometers to school and measure the temperature during every break. I put them in the refrigerator, in wells, in freezers, or I would dig holes in the garden to check the soil temperature,' he recalled.

His father, a railway employee, encouraged the hobby and bought him his first measuring instruments. By his early teens, Popa had amassed a collection of 10 to 13 different thermometers. At the age of 13, he received his first digital weather station, equipped with a rain gauge, an anemometer, and sensors measuring temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure.

While other children spent their summer holidays playing, Popa was building his own meteorological archive.

'I recorded the temperature, wind direction and sky conditions every hour. I collected data day after day for years and wrote everything down in a notebook,' he said.

When he lacked proper instruments, he improvised. To monitor wind direction, he attached a yellow potato-sack net to a stick and observed how it moved. Over time, repeated observations helped him recognize local weather patterns and better understand atmospheric changes.

Born and raised in Tulca, Popa graduated from a high school in nearby Salonta and now works for a multinational company. Meteorology, however, remained his lifelong field of study.

Five years ago, he founded the Bihor Association for Meteorological Education and Information and launched the Facebook page Meteo Tulca Bihor. What began as a source of information for local residents gradually expanded to cover all of Bihor County and, on occasion, neighboring areas.

According to Popa, his website and social media page recorded six million views in October alone, reflecting strong public interest in localized weather information.

He regularly follows leading European and American forecasting models, including the GFS model, and is also part of a national community of weather enthusiasts. Through meetings and consultations hosted by Romania's National Meteorological Administration, he has had opportunities to exchange ideas with professional meteorologists.

One of the greatest challenges, he said, is predicting severe storms, particularly fast-forming systems capable of causing significant damage within minutes.

Popa believes one of his most notable forecasts came ahead of the violent storm that struck Oradea on July 25, 2023. In less than 10 minutes, powerful winds uprooted mature trees, tore roofs from buildings and disrupted traffic across the city.

'I was probably the only person in the area, and perhaps even in Romania, who warned the public about the danger. I issued warnings three days in advance. Nobody believed me, not even on the day the storm hit. It wasn't a cyclone. It was a supercell that developed near Salonta and travelled 150 to 160 kilometres. We recorded wind gusts of up to 140 kilometres per hour near the airport,' he said.

According to Popa, a supercell is an exceptionally powerful convective storm structure often associated with destructive winds, large hail and other severe weather phenomena.

'During summer, when extreme storms develop that are difficult for forecasting models to capture, I issue warnings to the public. I was the only person in the area who warned, three days ahead, about the devastating storm that struck Oradea,' he added.

For him, such experiences highlight the importance of careful data interpretation and early communication. Timely warnings give residents an opportunity to take precautions and allow authorities valuable time to prepare.

That commitment to public safety has evolved into a practical partnership with the Bihor County 'Crisana' Emergency Management Inspectorate. Signed on June 25, 2026, the cooperation agreement focuses on public awareness and prevention related to vegetation fires and extreme weather events.

Under the arrangement, Popa provides firefighters with forecasts and assessments three to four days in advance, helping them evaluate risks and plan responses.

A recent example was this summer's heatwave. According to data presented by Popa, Bihor experienced one of its hottest summers in the past 15 years, including a period of 10 consecutive days in July and August when temperatures ranged between 38 and 41 degrees Celsius.

In such conditions, weather forecasting becomes about far more than determining whether it will rain or be sunny. Accurate forecasts can help identify periods of heightened wildfire risk and assist authorities in preparing for possible emergencies.

Popa is also committed to education. Through Romania's 'School Otherwise' and 'Green Week' programmes, he introduces children to meteorology, explaining how clouds form, what causes lightning and under what conditions tornadoes may develop.

For the self-taught forecaster, meteorology remains a field where observation, documentation and understanding must constantly work together. Behind every forecast lies a passion nurtured since childhood, sustained by curiosity and by a desire to understand what is happening in the sky above us. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Eugenia Pasca; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)