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As cyclones and typhoons have churned in the Atlantic Ocean and eastern Pacific, the continent has faced intense weather of its own. A weather disturbance that developed over the Mediterranean Sea in the middle of the week traveled northeast into the Balkan region on Thursday morning, bringing broad showers, electrical storms and extended rainfall.

Continuing Precipitation and Serious Warnings

The low-pressure area is predicted to persist into Friday, with models indicating two-day totals of 80 to 130 millimeters of rainfall across much of the Balkans. Severe weather alerts were activated for the nation of Serbia, south-west Romania, Greece's northeast, and the Greek isles, emphasizing the threat of floods and risk to human safety. Strong winds also closed educational institutions on the island of Zakynthos in the Ionian archipelago.

Cold Air Adds Severity

Chilly air masses drawn in from eastern Europe added to the severity, causing heavy snowfall across the Dinaric mountain range, with certain forecasts estimating accumulations of up to 80cm by the coming weekend.

Earlier Inundation in Spanish Regions

Previously, the eastern part of Spain and the Balearics suffered severe flooding as the remnants of Tropical Storm Gabrielle crossed the Spanish peninsula before stalling over the nearby sea. The city of Valencia and Ibiza were worst affected; The town of Gandia recorded 356.8mm in 12 hours – significantly exceeding its September average, while the island had 254 millimeters in 24 hours, its most precipitation in a day since at least 1952.

Streets, train stations, parks, and educational facilities were forced to close, while a measuring device near Aldaia measured 57 millimeters in just 35 minutes, causing the La Saleta waterway to overflow. The floods come just shy of a year after catastrophic floods in Valencia in 2024 that killed hundreds of residents.

Storm Bualoi Affects Vietnamese Regions

The powerful typhoon arrived onshore across Vietnam's central region this recent days, causing torrential rain, strong winds, and large swells. More than 300mm of precipitation was measured within a 24-hour span on Monday morning, leading to flash floods and rock slides that closed over 3,000 highways and isolated communities across northern provinces. Many airplane journeys were disrupted or postponed, and train operations between the capital Hanoi and the southern metropolis were stopped.

There have been 36 fatalities and 147 people injured, with 21 people still lost. More than 210,000 houses were damaged or flooded, with over 51,000 hectares of agricultural produce wiped out. National officials has assessed that the typhoon has resulted in in excess of £260 million in economic losses this past week.