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As cyclones and tropical storms have churned in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific, Europe has experienced intense weather of its own. A low-pressure system that emerged over the Mediterranean Sea in the middle of the week moved north-east into the Balkan region on Thursday, producing extensive rain showers, stormy weather and prolonged rains.

Continuing Rains and Serious Alerts

The low-pressure area is expected to remain into the end of the week, with forecasting tools showing two-day accumulations of 80 to 130 millimeters of precipitation across a large part of the Balkan Peninsula. Severe weather alerts were issued for Serbia, Romania's southwest, northeastern Greece, and the Greek isles, highlighting the risk of flooding and threat to life. Powerful gusts also forced the closure of classes on Zakynthos in the Ionian sea islands.

Cold Air Adds Harshness

Cold air pulled in from Eastern European regions worsened the severity, generating significant snowfalls across the Alpine region, with certain forecasts estimating accumulations of as much as 80 centimeters by the weekend's end.

Earlier Inundation in Spain

Earlier in the week, eastern Spain and the Balearic archipelago experienced severe flooding as the remains of Hurricane Gabrielle moved across the Spanish peninsula before slowing over the Balearic waters. The city of Valencia and the island of Ibiza were most impacted; The town of Gandia measured over 350 millimeters in a 12-hour period – significantly exceeding its typical September rainfall, while Ibiza had 10 inches in one day, its rainiest day since at least 1952.

Highways, railway stations, public parks, and educational facilities were forced to close, while a measuring device near Aldaia measured 57 millimeters in just 35 minutes, causing the local ravine to burst its banks. The floods come just shy of a year after catastrophic flooding in the region in 2024 that caused the death of over 230 individuals.

Typhoon Bualoi Affects Vietnamese Regions

The powerful typhoon struck the coast across the central part of Vietnam this recent days, bringing torrential rain, high winds, and large swells. More than 300mm of precipitation was measured within a 24-hour period on Monday morning, causing flash floods and landslides that blocked more than 3,000 roads and cut off villages across the northern regions. Many airplane journeys were halted or rescheduled, and rail transport between the capital Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were suspended.

Officials confirmed 36 lives lost and 147 injuries, with 21 persons still missing. More than 210,000 houses were harmed or submerged, with more than 51,000 hectares of farmland ruined. Vietnam’s government has assessed that the storm has led to over $350 million in damage to property this recent period.