The thermometers in Întorsura Buzăului, a town long established as one of Romania’s “poles of cold,” registered a bone-chilling -21 degrees Celsius on Tuesday morning, Agerpres reports. The reading marks the lowest temperature recorded in the country this winter season outside of the high-altitude mountain peaks.
Întorsura Buzăului has earned the moniker “Little Siberia” due to its unique microclimate. Nestled in a depression that allows cold air to settle and stagnate, the town frequently records temperatures that rival the Russian tundra.
Historically, today’s -21°C is almost mild compared to the town’s legendary freezes:
- 2015: Temperatures plummeted to -34.6°C.
- 2017: A low of -32°C was recorded.
- 2023: A brutal three-day stretch saw values of -31°C, -29°C, and -26°C.
- Half-Century Record: The official all-time low for Covasna County stands at -35.8°C, recorded on February 8, 2005.
Despite the current cold snap, 2024 was officially the warmest year in the history of Romanian meteorological measurements, with the winter of 2023–2024 setting its own record for high average temperatures.
Romania vs. the European cold poles
While -21°C in Întorsura Buzăului is bone-chilling for the Balkans, it is actually part of a broader “Arctic Outbreak” currently sweeping through the continent. This week, a disruption of the polar vortex has sent temperatures plummeting across Central and Northern Europe.
| Location | Country | Current Low (Jan 13) | Status |
| Funäsdalen | Sweden | -40.8°C | Current European “Cold Pole” (Weekly High) |
| Kvilda-Perla | Czechia | -30.6°C | Coldest point in Central Europe today |
| La Brévine | Switzerland | -30.3°C | The “Siberia of Switzerland” |
| Întorsura Buzăului | Romania | -21.0°C | Romania’s “Little Siberia” (Non-mountainous) |
| Minsk | Belarus | -18.0°C | Deep Continental freeze |
| Zakopane | Poland | -10.0°C | Average Alpine freeze |
