In recent days, the phenomenon called “Storm Ashley” has captured the attention of the Romanian public, but serious doubts are being raised about the legitimacy of this storm, which seems to be a purely local invention. “You won’t find news about ‘Ashley’ outside of Romania. And that should raise some questions,” says Associate Professor Dr. Lucian Sfîcă, a meteorology specialist.
In a detailed analysis, the professor emphasizes that although the Italian Meteorological Service had named a potential cyclone, it never actually materialized on weather maps. “An extratropical cyclone, typical for our region, must have closed isobars, meaning very low atmospheric pressure in its center, to be classified as such. At this moment, only the Serbian meteorological service is more boldly indicating the development of a cyclonic system in our area, but without closed isobars,” explains Professor Sfîcă.
Thus, what we are actually seeing in Romania is normal weather for this time of year, which, though unusual for the beginning of autumn, is the result of an upper-level trough advancing from west to east. This phenomenon is generating heavy rainfall, but it is not a dangerous cyclone—just “a typical summer rain-generating situation.”
“The absence of such phenomena during the summer led to the serious issue of drought until just a few weeks ago,” continues Associate Professor Dr. Lucian Sfîcă. Therefore, if drought was the main concern during the summer, now we are experiencing a few days of heavy rain, which has led to the unjustified panic of a “devastating storm.”
The expert’s conclusion is clear: “To consider these normal torrential rains as ‘the storm of the last 20 years’ means meteorology is dead.”
