Southeastern Europe Face Increased Flooding Risk Due to Soggy Weather
As cyclones and typhoons have swirled in the Atlantic and Pacific east, the continent has faced severe weather of its own. A low-pressure system that developed over the Mediterranean Sea midweek moved north-east into south-eastern European countries on Thursday, bringing broad downpours, electrical storms and prolonged rainfall.
Persistent Rainfall and Critical Warnings
The system is forecast to persist into Friday, with forecasting tools showing 48-hour period accumulations of 80 to 130 millimeters of rain across the majority of the Balkan states. Highest-level advisories were activated for Serbia, Romania's southwest, north-east Greece, and the Aegean island groups, emphasizing the risk of flooding and threat to life. High winds also closed educational institutions on Zakynthos in the Ionian archipelago.
Chilly Air Intensifies Harshness
Frigid temperatures drawn in from the east increased the intensity, generating deep snow across the Alpine region, with certain forecasts predicting accumulations of nearly three feet by the weekend's end.
Earlier Inundation in Spanish Regions
Previously, Spain's eastern coast and the Balearic Islands experienced devastating floods as the remnants of Tropical Storm Gabrielle moved across the Iberian peninsula before coming to a halt over the nearby sea. The city of Valencia and the island of Ibiza were worst affected; The town of Gandia registered 356.8mm in 12 hours – over tenfold its September average, while the island had 254 millimeters in 24 hours, its wettest day since at least 1952.
Highways, transit hubs, public parks, and school buildings were obliged to cease operations, while a measuring device near Aldaia measured 57 millimeters in just half an hour, leading to the La Saleta waterway to burst its banks. The floods come just shy of a year after devastating inundations in the region in 2024 that claimed the lives of more than 230 people.
Typhoon Bualoi Affects Vietnam
Tropical storm Bualoi arrived onshore across central Vietnam this past week, delivering heavy rain, strong winds, and large swells. More than 300mm of rain was measured within a 24-hour period on Monday, causing rapid flooding and mudslides that closed over 3,000 highways and isolated local populations across provinces in the north. Dozens of flights were cancelled or delayed, and train operations between Hanoi and the southern metropolis were stopped.
Officials confirmed 36 deaths and 147 people injured, with 21 people still lost. Over 210,000 homes were harmed or submerged, with in excess of 126,000 acres of rice and other crops destroyed. The Vietnamese authorities has calculated that Bualoi has caused in excess of £260 million in property damage this recent period.
