While tempests and typhoons have raged in the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific east, the continent has encountered extreme conditions of its own. A low-pressure system that developed over the Mediterranean Sea midweek drifted towards the northeast into south-eastern European countries on Thursday, producing widespread downpours, stormy weather and extended rainfall.
Ongoing Precipitation and Serious Alerts
This weather pattern is predicted to remain into Friday and beyond, with models suggesting 48-hour amounts of 80 to 130 millimeters of rain across the majority of the Balkan Peninsula. Severe weather alerts were declared for Serbia, south-west Romania, north-east Greece, and the Dodecanese and North Aegean Islands, underscoring the threat of inundation and threat to life. High winds also shut down schools on Zakynthos in the Ionian archipelago.
Cold Air Adds Severe Conditions
Cold air pulled in from the east increased the severity, generating heavy snowfall across the Dinaric Alps, with several predictions predicting accumulations of nearly three feet by the coming weekend.
Earlier Flooding in Spanish Regions
Just days before, Spain's eastern coast and the Balearic Islands experienced devastating flooding as the leftovers of the former hurricane moved across the Iberian peninsula before coming to a halt over the nearby sea. Valencia and the island of Ibiza were most impacted; The town of Gandia recorded 14 inches in 12 hours – over tenfold its average for the month, while Ibiza had 254mm in 24 hours, its most precipitation in a day since at least 1952.
Streets, railway stations, green spaces, and school buildings were obliged to cease operations, while a measuring device near the area of Aldaia registered 57 millimeters in just 35 minutes, resulting in the La Saleta ravine to burst its banks. The floods come nearly one year after devastating flooding in Valencia in the previous year that claimed the lives of hundreds of residents.
Tropical Cyclone Bualoi Impacts Vietnamese Regions
Typhoon Bualoi made landfall across Vietnam's central region this week, causing torrential rain, high winds, and massive ocean waves. In excess of 12 inches of rainfall was recorded within a 24-hour span on Monday, triggering flash floods and mudslides that obstructed thousands of routes and cut off local populations across northern provinces. Dozens of flights were disrupted or postponed, and train operations between the capital Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were stopped.
There have been 36 lives lost and 147 people injured, with 21 people still unaccounted for. More than 210,000 houses were harmed or submerged, with in excess of 126,000 acres of rice and other crops wiped out. National officials has assessed that the typhoon has led to more than $350m in economic losses this week.
