Wintry weather has returned to some parts of Romania following several days of warm sunshine.
Friday saw near-record highs in southern Romania, with 21C in the capital, but by Saturday evening, the weather had changed with torrential rain and even hailstones in Bucharest.
On Sunday, there was a high of 12C in the capital, with temperatures expected to drop by several degrees on Monday.
It was just above freezing with snow in the mountain resorts of Sinaia and Predeal.
The cold snap was felt in eastern Romania, and there were weather warnings in the Danube port of Tulcea and the Black Sea port of Constanta.
Florinela Georgescu, the executive director of the National Weather Administration, said a cold front was responsible for the lower temperatures.
She said the north and and east would feel the brunt of the chill, with highs of 4 to 6C in northeast Romania.
There were will be highs of 10 to 12C in northern Romania and the weather will remain mild only in southern Romania with a maximum of 16 to 18C she said.
The cooler weather will feel colder than it is due to wind which will affect most regions.
“The beginning of March,” which is normally the start of Spring “will feel more like the end of winter,” she said.
The weather will be unstable for the first part of March with warm weather forecast for Thursday, but possible snowfall early in the following week.
