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February 23, 2026 - Snow Along the Danube
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A severe winter storm whipped portions of Europe with strong winds and buried multiple regions under heavy snow in late February 2026.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image centered on Romania (north) and Bulgaria (south) on February 19. The Danube River, which marks the border between the two countries, remained ice-free while the rest of the landscape was encased in snow and ice.
Between February 17-18, Bucharest, Romania accumulated 16 inches (40 cm) of fresh snow, according to several media reports. The country’s Energy Minister advised that 200,000 homes lost electricity immediately after the storm, while fallen trees shut down roads and railways. Across the country, schools were closed while even emergency response units, such as ambulances, were unable to negotiate roadways in southeastern Romania.
The storm also walloped Bulgaria, with at least one media report exclaiming “Snowstorms Paralyze Bulgaria”. Similar to Romania, extreme snowfall or, in a few areas, rain, and heavy winds caused power outages, school closures, and widespread traffic disruptions in northeastern Bulgaria. The Trakia highway, a major route between Burgas and Zimnitsa, was closed due to the snow while at least one road was closed due to flooding.
The severe weather gave way to sunny skies on February 19, but the relief was brief. A second wave of severe winter weather moved into Bulgaria and Romania starting on February 21. This triggered a Code Orange warning for dangerous weather in several districts of Bulgaria and Romania’s National Meteorological Administration (ANM) issued a Code Yellow for strong winds, heavy precipitation, and blizzard conditions expected to affect 16 counties and Bucharest through February 22.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 2/19/2026
Resolutions:
1km (176 KB), 500m (405.4 KB), 250m (584.4 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
A severe winter storm whipped portions of Europe with strong winds and buried multiple regions under heavy snow in late February 2026.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image centered on Romania (north) and Bulgaria (south) on February 19. The Danube River, which marks the border between the two countries, remained ice-free while the rest of the landscape was encased in snow and ice.
Between February 17-18, Bucharest, Romania accumulated 16 inches (40 cm) of fresh snow, according to several media reports. The country’s Energy Minister advised that 200,000 homes lost electricity immediately after the storm, while fallen trees shut down roads and railways. Across the country, schools were closed while even emergency response units, such as ambulances, were unable to negotiate roadways in southeastern Romania.
The storm also walloped Bulgaria, with at least one media report exclaiming “Snowstorms Paralyze Bulgaria”. Similar to Romania, extreme snowfall or, in a few areas, rain, and heavy winds caused power outages, school closures, and widespread traffic disruptions in northeastern Bulgaria. The Trakia highway, a major route between Burgas and Zimnitsa, was closed due to the snow while at least one road was closed due to flooding.
The severe weather gave way to sunny skies on February 19, but the relief was brief. A second wave of severe winter weather moved into Bulgaria and Romania starting on February 21. This triggered a Code Orange warning for dangerous weather in several districts of Bulgaria and Romania’s National Meteorological Administration (ANM) issued a Code Yellow for strong winds, heavy precipitation, and blizzard conditions expected to affect 16 counties and Bucharest through February 22.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 2/19/2026
Resolutions:
1km (176 KB), 500m (405.4 KB), 250m (584.4 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
