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Although cyclones and typhoons have churned in the Atlantic Ocean and eastern Pacific, the continent has faced intense conditions of its own. A weather disturbance that developed over the Mediterranean in the middle of the week traveled north-east into southeastern Europe on Thursday morning, causing widespread rain showers, electrical storms and extended rains.

Persistent Rains and Critical Alerts

The system is predicted to persist into the end of the week, with weather models showing 48-hour period accumulations of 80 to 130 millimeters of rainfall across a large part of the Balkan states. Red weather warnings were issued for Serbia, Romania's southwest, Greece's northeast, and the Aegean island groups, emphasizing the threat of inundation and threat to life. Strong winds also closed classes on Zakynthos in the Ionian sea islands.

Cold Air Intensifies Severity

Chilly air masses brought in from eastern Europe increased the severity, generating deep snow across the Dinaric Alps, with several predictions predicting snow levels of nearly three feet by the weekend's end.

Recent Floods in Spanish Regions

Earlier in the week, eastern Spain and the Balearic archipelago experienced devastating floods as the remnants of Hurricane Gabrielle crossed the Iberian peninsula before coming to a halt over the Balearic Sea. Valencia and the island of Ibiza were most impacted; The town of Gandia recorded 14 inches in 12 hours – significantly exceeding its average for the month, while Ibiza had 10 inches in 24 hours, its most precipitation in a day since at least 1952.

Roads, railway stations, public parks, and educational facilities were forced to close, while a measuring device near the area of Aldaia registered 57 millimeters in just half an hour, causing the La Saleta ravine to burst its banks. These inundations come nearly one year after catastrophic floods in the region in the previous year that killed hundreds of residents.

Tropical Cyclone Bualoi Affects Vietnamese Regions

The powerful typhoon struck the coast across Vietnam's central region this recent days, delivering torrential rain, strong winds, and large swells. More than 300mm of rain was measured within a 24-hour span on Monday, causing rapid flooding and mudslides that closed over 3,000 highways and cut off communities across provinces in the north. Many airplane journeys were disrupted or postponed, and rail transport between the capital Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were halted.

Officials confirmed 36 deaths and 147 people injured, with 21 individuals still unaccounted for. Over 210,000 homes were impacted or inundated, with more than 51,000 hectares of agricultural produce wiped out. Vietnam’s government has calculated that the typhoon has led to in excess of £260 million in property damage this week.