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While cyclones and typhoons have swirled in the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific east, Europe has encountered extreme weather of its own. A weather disturbance that emerged over the Mediterranean midweek moved north-east into south-eastern European countries on Thursday, producing broad rain showers, stormy weather and extended rains.

Ongoing Precipitation and Critical Warnings

The system is predicted to remain into Friday and beyond, with weather models showing two-day totals of 80 to 130 millimeters of rain across a large part of the Balkan states. Highest-level advisories were issued for Serbia, south-west Romania, Greece's northeast, and the Greek isles, emphasizing the danger of flooding and risk to human safety. High winds also forced the closure of schools on the island of Zakynthos in the Ionian archipelago.

Chilly Air Contributes Harshness

Cold air brought in from eastern Europe worsened the intensity, producing heavy snowfall across the Alpine region, with several predictions estimating depths of as much as 80 centimeters by the coming weekend.

Previous Floods in Spain

Earlier in the week, eastern Spain and the Balearic Islands experienced devastating inundation as the remnants of Tropical Storm Gabrielle moved across the Spanish peninsula before slowing over the nearby sea. Valencia and Ibiza were most impacted; Gandia measured 356.8mm in a 12-hour period – over tenfold its September average, while the island had 254mm in one day, its wettest day since at least the mid-20th century.

Streets, transit hubs, public parks, and educational facilities were compelled to shut down, while a rain gauge near Aldaia measured over two inches in just half an hour, leading to the La Saleta waterway to flood. These inundations come almost a year after catastrophic floods in Valencia in 2024 that caused the death of hundreds of residents.

Tropical Cyclone Bualoi Affects Vietnamese Regions

Tropical storm Bualoi made landfall across the central part of Vietnam this past week, bringing heavy rain, strong winds, and large swells. In excess of 12 inches of rainfall was recorded within a 24-hour period on Monday morning, triggering rapid flooding and rock slides that closed over 3,000 highways and stranded communities across provinces in the north. Dozens of flights were cancelled or delayed, and train operations between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were suspended.

There have been 36 deaths and 147 people injured, with 21 people still missing. More than 210,000 houses were harmed or submerged, with in excess of 126,000 acres of agricultural produce ruined. National officials has estimated that the storm has caused in excess of £260 million in economic losses this week.