Southeastern Europe Face Heightened Flood Threat Owing to Wet Weather
While storms and typhoons have swirled in the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific east, the continent has experienced extreme weather of its own. A low-pressure system that developed over the Mediterranean in the middle of the week traveled towards the northeast into south-eastern European countries on Thursday, causing extensive showers, electrical storms and extended rains.
Ongoing Rainfall and Severe Warnings
The system is forecast to continue into Friday and beyond, with forecasting tools suggesting two-day accumulations of 80-130mm of precipitation across much of the Balkans. Severe weather alerts were declared for the nation of Serbia, south-west Romania, Greece's northeast, and the Greek isles, emphasizing the threat of inundation and danger to residents. High winds also forced the closure of schools on Zakynthos in the Ionian Islands.
Chilly Air Adds Severity
Cold air drawn in from Eastern European regions added to the intensity, causing significant snowfalls across the Alpine region, with certain forecasts predicting snow levels of as much as 80 centimeters by the weekend.
Previous Floods in Spanish Regions
Earlier in the week, the eastern part of Spain and the Balearic Islands suffered devastating flooding as the remains of the former hurricane moved across the Iberian region before slowing over the Balearic Sea. The city of Valencia and the island of Ibiza were worst affected; Gandia registered 14 inches in half a day – over tenfold its typical September rainfall, while Ibiza had 254 millimeters in a full day, its rainiest day since at least 1952.
Roads, train stations, green spaces, and educational facilities were forced to close, while a measuring device near the area of Aldaia registered over two inches in just half an hour, resulting in the local ravine to overflow. The floods come just shy of a year after devastating flooding in Valencia in 2024 that claimed the lives of more than 230 people.
Tropical Cyclone Bualoi Affects Vietnamese Regions
Typhoon Bualoi made landfall across central Vietnam this recent days, bringing heavy rain, strong winds, and huge sea swells. Over 300 millimeters of precipitation was observed within a single day on Monday, triggering sudden floods and mudslides that blocked over 3,000 highways and cut off villages across provinces in the north. Many airplane journeys were halted or rescheduled, and railway services between the capital Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were halted.
There have been 36 fatalities and 147 injuries, with 21 individuals still lost. Over 210,000 homes were damaged or flooded, with more than 51,000 hectares of agricultural produce ruined. The Vietnamese authorities has calculated that the storm has led to over $350 million in economic losses this recent period.
