BUCHAREST, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- More than half of Romania will be under a yellow heat alert on Friday, with temperatures forecast to reach 37 degrees Celsius, the National Meteorological Administration (ANM) said.
The warning, in effect from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. local time, covers 24 counties, including Bucharest, Maramures, Crisana, Banat, Oltenia, most of Transylvania and parts of Muntenia. Meteorologists warned of high humidity and a temperature-humidity index slightly above the critical threshold of 80 in some western, northwestern and southern areas.
On Saturday, the western counties of Bihor, Arad and Timis will be under an orange alert, with highs of 38 degrees Celsius and severe thermal discomfort expected.
A yellow alert will remain in place for parts of Maramures, Crisana, Banat, Transylvania and Oltenia, where temperatures will range from 33 degrees Celsius to 37 degrees Celsius, peaking in the southwest.
ANM classifies weather alerts into three risk levels: yellow, orange, and red, indicating increasing severity from potential risk to extreme danger. ■
