Southeastern Europe Face Increased Flooding Threat Owing to Rainy Circumstances
Although cyclones and hurricanes have churned in the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific east, the continent has experienced extreme weather of its own. A low-pressure system that formed over the Mediterranean Sea in the middle of the week moved towards the northeast into south-eastern European countries on Thursday, bringing widespread downpours, thunderstorms and prolonged rains.
Persistent Rains and Serious Warnings
This weather pattern is predicted to continue into Friday and beyond, with weather models suggesting 48-hour period amounts of three to five inches of rainfall across a large part of the Balkans. Red weather warnings were declared for Serbia, south-west Romania, Greece's northeast, and the Aegean island groups, emphasizing the danger of inundation and danger to residents. Powerful gusts also forced the closure of educational institutions on the island of Zakynthos in the Ionian Islands.
Frigid Air Contributes Severe Conditions
Chilly air masses brought in from eastern Europe worsened the severity, causing heavy snowfall across the Alpine region, with certain forecasts predicting snow levels of as much as 80 centimeters by the weekend.
Previous Inundation in Spain
Earlier in the week, the eastern part of Spain and the Balearics endured severe floods as the leftovers of Hurricane Gabrielle moved across the Spanish peninsula before stalling over the Balearic Sea. Valencia and Ibiza were most impacted; Gandia recorded 14 inches in half a day – more than 10 times its September average, while the island had 254 millimeters in 24 hours, its rainiest day since at least 1952.
Highways, train stations, public parks, and schools were obliged to cease operations, while a measuring device near Aldaia recorded 57mm in just 35 minutes, causing the La Saleta waterway to burst its banks. The floods come just shy of a year after catastrophic floods in the region in 2024 that killed over 230 individuals.
Storm Bualoi Affects Vietnam
The powerful typhoon struck the coast across the central part of Vietnam this recent days, bringing intense rainfall, powerful gusts, and huge sea swells. More than 300mm of rain was measured within a 24-hour period on the start of the week, leading to flash floods and mudslides that blocked more than 3,000 roads and stranded communities across northern provinces. Numerous air travel routes were halted or rescheduled, and rail transport between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were suspended.
Officials confirmed 36 fatalities and 147 casualties, with 21 people still unaccounted for. Hundreds of thousands of residences were damaged or flooded, with in excess of 126,000 acres of agricultural produce ruined. The Vietnamese authorities has estimated that the typhoon has resulted in in excess of £260 million in damage to property this week.
