WEATHER COSTS. CASE STUDY: BLIZZARDS IN ROMANIA DURING THE 2000 – 2012 PERIOD
DANCIU-CIURLĂU DORUȚA, IONAC NICOLETA
ABSTRACT. Weather costs. Case Study: Blizzards in Romania during the 2000 – 2012 periods. In mid-latitude regions, blizzards may have serious consequences not only on humans, but also on the environment and the economy. In Romania, blizzards may be produced throughout the country, but due to some local conditions and particularities of the underlying active surface, their intensity, duration and frequency are different; the most exposed and vulnerable areas are: The Romanian Plain (and especially the Baragan Steppe – Plain Area), Moldavia and Dobrogea. This study makes a survey of several blizzard episodes, which occurred during the wintertime of the 2000 – 2012 periods. They have been approached from the point of view of the consequences that this kind of weather phenomenon actually has on the society under meteorological, economic and social aspects; the fact that its aftermath may sometimes be of sizeable proportions, occasionally leading even to loss of human lives, being well-known already.
Keywords: blizzards, economic impact, weather costs.