It was a morning that many in Chișinău and across Moldova won’t soon forget. As dawn broke on February 5, 2026, the city’s streets and sidewalks had turned treacherously slick, blanketed with a thin, nearly invisible layer of ice. Despite official assurances that intervention teams had worked through the night, residents awoke to find that getting around was a real gamble—one that sent hundreds to the hospital and forced schools to close their doors for days.
According to TVR Moldova, the freezing drizzle and wild temperature swings overnight had created perfect conditions for rapid ice formation. While city officials insisted that anti-slip materials had been distributed and that teams were out in force, many locals told a different story. "On many streets and sidewalks, nothing was done at all, and people move with difficulty, risking a fall at every step," reported journalist Olga Sarivan. The frustration was palpable among residents who felt that the response had been patchy at best, especially given that a Yellow Code warning for ice and freezing rain had already been issued by the State Hydrometeorological Service (SHS).
The numbers from the hospitals painted a stark picture. Over the 24 hours leading up to February 5, a staggering 259 people sought medical help at the Institute of Emergency Medicine, as reported by Ziarul de Gardă. Nearly 60% of these patients were suffering trauma caused by falls on icy sidewalks. Of those, 24 were hospitalized, and 11 required emergency surgical interventions for serious fractures. Between 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. alone, 23 trauma patients and 2 neurosurgical cases were admitted for specialized care. The Emergency Medicine Institute, clearly stretched by the influx, pleaded with the public to be extra cautious: "We reiterate our call for the population to exercise increased caution when moving, especially on slippery surfaces, and to respect safety measures to prevent accidents."
It wasn’t just the city’s pedestrians who were feeling the impact. Across the country, the National Roads Administration (AND) was in full mobilization mode. According to MOLDPRES, more than 139 special vehicles and 91 road workers were deployed in just five hours to combat the ice and freezing rain. Their interventions spanned the northern, central, and southern regions, covering key roads in places like Briceni, Dondușeni, Edineț, Ocnița, Florești, and, of course, Chișinău. In total, 732.9 tons of anti-slip material were spread across the national road network to keep traffic moving and prevent accidents.
Yet, even with these efforts, driving remained a risky proposition. The AND’s Operative Service managed 15 citizen calls, 7 emergency reports via the 112 service, and 2 calls from the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations during the same intervention period. Officials urged all drivers to exercise maximum caution, adapt their speed, and modify their driving style to suit the icy, low-visibility conditions. For those who found themselves in a bind, the AND’s Operative Service was available around the clock, fielding calls and coordinating rapid responses to emergencies. "The Crisis Cell of AND, the Operative Service, and the S.A. ‘Drumuri’ teams remain mobilized continuously, ready to intervene without interruption on affected sections," stated a representative from the road administration.
Back in the capital, the situation was so dire that the city’s schools suspended in-person classes until Friday, February 7. Students switched to online learning as a precaution, a decision explained by Andrei Pavaloi, deputy head of the General Directorate of Education, Youth and Sports. "Given that yesterday evening the weather forecast showed temperatures between 0 and +2°C and did not indicate rain, we didn’t initially decide to move online. However, starting at 2 a.m., colleagues from the Chișinău City Hall, while out in the field, noticed that due to wind and the actual felt temperature being around minus seven, ice had formed on the streets. Therefore, we decided to go online for these two days, especially since more rain and sleet are expected later today," Pavaloi told TVR Moldova.
Weather experts at the SHS kept the Yellow Code warning in place until February 6, 2026, noting that temperatures hovering around 0°C and predominantly rainy precipitation would continue to create hazardous conditions. The phenomenon, they explained, would be most pronounced in the northern half of the country on February 4 and 5, but by February 6, the risk would spread nationwide. "Air temperatures around 0°C and precipitation, mainly as rain, will cause the formation of ice and freezing rain," the SHS warned, urging people to stay vigilant.
The challenges weren’t limited to just foot traffic and local roads. National highways, including critical routes like R21, R30, G5, G26, and others, were prioritized for intervention, with crews working to clear and widen the roadways. The G40–Sănătăuca route, for instance, was unblocked and efforts were ongoing to further expand the carriageway to facilitate safer travel. Despite these efforts, roads remained passable but far from ideal, with ice and freezing rain making every journey a potential ordeal.
For many Moldovans, the events of early February served as a harsh reminder of the country’s vulnerability to extreme winter weather. While authorities at both the municipal and national levels responded with significant resources, the sheer scale and speed of the ice formation overwhelmed even the best-laid plans. Residents’ complaints about uneven intervention, particularly on secondary streets and sidewalks, highlighted ongoing challenges in maintaining urban infrastructure during sudden weather swings.
As the crisis unfolded, officials and experts alike called for modern solutions to better handle such extreme phenomena in the future. From improved forecasting and faster response times to more comprehensive distribution of anti-slip materials, the need for innovation was clear. In the meantime, the message from all quarters remained consistent: caution, patience, and community cooperation were essential to weathering the storm—literally and figuratively.
By the end of the week, with the Yellow Code warning finally lifted and conditions gradually improving, life in Chișinău and across Moldova began to return to a tentative normal. Yet for the hundreds who suffered falls, injuries, and disrupted routines, the icy ordeal of February 2026 won’t soon be forgotten.