🔗 Share this article

While tempests and hurricanes have raged in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific, Europe has faced severe weather of its own. A weather disturbance that developed over the Mediterranean midweek moved northeast into southeastern Europe on Thursday afternoon, producing broad rain showers, electrical storms and prolonged rainfall.

Ongoing Precipitation and Serious Warnings

This weather pattern is expected to remain into Friday, with models indicating two-day amounts of 80-130mm of precipitation across the majority of the Balkan states. Highest-level advisories were activated for Serbia, south-west Romania, north-east Greece, and the Dodecanese and North Aegean Islands, highlighting the danger of inundation and threat to life. High winds also closed schools on the island of Zakynthos in the Ionian archipelago.

Cold Air Intensifies Harshness

Frigid temperatures drawn in from Eastern European regions worsened the intensity, producing deep snow across the Dinaric mountain range, with certain forecasts estimating depths of nearly three feet by the weekend's end.

Recent Floods in Spanish Regions

Previously, the eastern part of Spain and the Balearics experienced severe inundation as the remains of the former hurricane crossed the Iberian region before stalling over the nearby sea. Valencia and Ibiza were hardest hit; The town of Gandia recorded 356.8mm in 12 hours – over tenfold its September average, while Ibiza had 254mm in a full day, its most precipitation in a day since at least 1952.

Streets, transit hubs, public parks, and educational facilities were compelled to shut down, while a rain gauge near the area of Aldaia measured 57mm in just 35 minutes, resulting in the La Saleta waterway to burst its banks. The flooding come almost a year after devastating flooding in the region in 2024 that claimed the lives of over 230 individuals.

Tropical Cyclone Bualoi Hits Vietnam

Tropical storm Bualoi struck the coast across central Vietnam this past week, delivering intense rainfall, high winds, and massive ocean waves. More than 300mm of precipitation was recorded within a 24-hour span on Monday morning, causing sudden floods and landslides that blocked thousands of routes and cut off local populations across the northern regions. Dozens of flights were disrupted or postponed, and train operations between the capital Hanoi and the southern metropolis were suspended.

Officials confirmed 36 fatalities and 147 people injured, with 21 individuals still unaccounted for. Over 210,000 homes were harmed or submerged, with over 51,000 hectares of agricultural produce destroyed. Vietnam’s government has estimated that the storm has resulted in more than $350m in economic losses this week.