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As tempests and hurricanes have swirled in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific, the continent has experienced severe weather of its own. A low-pressure system that emerged over the Mediterranean Sea in the middle of the week moved northeast into the Balkan region on Thursday, producing broad showers, stormy weather and lengthy rainfall.

Persistent Rainfall and Critical Alerts

The low-pressure area is forecast to persist into the end of the week, with forecasting tools suggesting two-day totals of 80-130mm of precipitation across a large part of the Balkans. Severe weather alerts were issued for Serbia, Romania's southwest, northeastern Greece, and the Dodecanese and North Aegean Islands, emphasizing the threat of flooding and danger to residents. Strong winds also shut down schools on Zakynthos in the Ionian archipelago.

Chilly Air Adds Harshness

Frigid temperatures brought in from Eastern European regions increased the severity, producing heavy snowfall across the Dinaric Alps, with some models predicting accumulations of up to 80cm by the weekend's end.

Recent Inundation in Spain

Earlier in the week, the eastern part of Spain and the Balearic archipelago experienced devastating flooding as the leftovers of Hurricane Gabrielle passed over the Iberian region before slowing over the Balearic Sea. The city of Valencia and the island of Ibiza were most impacted; Gandia registered over 350 millimeters in half a day – over tenfold its September average, while Ibiza had 254 millimeters in one day, its rainiest day since at least 1952.

Roads, train stations, green spaces, and school buildings were compelled to shut down, while a rain gauge near Aldaia recorded 57mm in just 35 minutes, causing the La Saleta ravine to flood. The floods come just shy of a year after catastrophic flooding in Valencia in 2024 that caused the death of more than 230 people.

Storm Bualoi Affects Vietnam

Typhoon Bualoi arrived onshore across the central part of Vietnam this week, bringing heavy rain, strong winds, and huge sea swells. In excess of 12 inches of rain was measured within a single day on Monday, triggering rapid flooding and landslides that blocked more than 3,000 roads and stranded communities across provinces in the north. Dozens of flights were cancelled or delayed, and railway services between the capital Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were suspended.

There have been 36 lives lost and 147 injuries, with 21 individuals still lost. Hundreds of thousands of residences were impacted or inundated, with in excess of 126,000 acres of agricultural produce wiped out. National officials has assessed that the typhoon has resulted in more than $350m in property damage this recent period.