SNOW!

Work & Witness Team from the Netherlands
in Sighisoara

It started out like a normal day. Well, as normal as you’d expect when driving to Bucharest from Sighisoara. The Dutch Work and Witness team that had spent the last two weeks in Sighisoara were on their way to the Bucharest airport so they could return home to the Netherlands. The unseasonably warm-for-autumn weather they'd experienced in Sighisoara had allowed them to accomplish
a lot with the construction project at the Sighisoara Church of the Nazarene. But on this, their last full day in Romania, they would get to experience not only the capital city of Romania, but also a taste of winter weather.

Early in the week, I checked the weekend weather forecast for Bucharest. Sunny and 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Quite a bit cooler than recent weather in Sighisoara, but I knew to pack some heavier clothes.

Two or three days before the drive to Bucharest – after seeing reports of snow in Switzerland and Kosovo – I checked the forecast again. This time, I also checked the towns we drive through in the mountains, which tend to get snow sooner. I wanted to make sure I didn’t need to rush to get snow tires on the car before the trip. No inclement weather forecasted.

The night before the trip, I checked once more. The Bucharest high for Saturday was now 46. It was also forecasted to be cloudy and windy. I thought I’d rather be over-prepared, so I grabbed my scarf, hat and gloves, and thought I’d wear my winter coat instead of my fall jacket.

We left Sighisoara at 7:00 Saturday morning. We had three vehicles filled with 20 people and their luggage. The weather was perfect for driving – especially through the mountains which were picturesque with the changing colors autumn leaves. But the further south we journeyed, the colder it became.

We arrived in Bucharest around noon. While we were eating lunch, it started to get windier. By the time we were done eating, it had started to rain with a few flakes of snow mixed in. An hour later, it had turned completely to snow. Big, wet flakes of snow. And the wind gusts had picked up to 45 mph.

Late afternoon Saturday

Showing the Dutch team around Bucharest in the snow

By early evening, the snow was starting to accumulate. (I'm so thankful I packed a scarf and hat, but I’d never even thought about bringing snow boots, so my feet were soaked by the nightfall.) It kept snowing until about 9 pm. By that time, there was about a half inch of snow on the ground and on cars.

Saturday night in Bucharest

Sunday morning

Sunday morning, I looked out the window to see if it had all melted overnight. Quite the opposite.
We’d received close to another half inch – and it was still snowing!

By the time the church started, it had stopped snowing. By the time the service was over, most of the snow had melted.

What started out as a normal day turned into a day with a strange October snow storm.

I am thankful that the two weeks the Work and Witness team was in Sighisoara, there was very pleasant weather, which allowed them to accomplish a lot of the building project. I’m also thankful for the perfect weather for the long drive from Sighisoara to Bucharest.

By the way, the actual daytime high in Bucharest on Saturday was 34 degrees Fahrenheit.

Now...to get some snow tires!


(By the way, I didn’t bring my camera to Bucharest, so these are all friends’ pictures they posted on Facebook.)