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Although storms and tropical storms have raged in the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific east, Europe has experienced extreme weather of its own. An atmospheric depression that formed over the Mediterranean in the middle of the week traveled northeast into south-eastern European countries on Thursday, bringing widespread rain showers, stormy weather and lengthy precipitation.

Persistent Rainfall and Critical Alerts

This weather pattern is predicted to persist into the end of the week, with models indicating two-day accumulations of three to five inches of rainfall across a large part of the Balkans. Highest-level advisories were issued for Serbia, Romania's southwest, north-east Greece, and the Aegean island groups, highlighting the danger of flooding and risk to human safety. Strong winds also closed educational institutions on Zakynthos in the Ionian Islands.

Cold Air Adds Harshness

Chilly air masses brought in from eastern Europe increased the intensity, producing significant snowfalls across the Dinaric Alps, with some models estimating depths of as much as 80 centimeters by the coming weekend.

Earlier Floods in Spain

Just days before, the eastern part of Spain and the Balearic archipelago suffered devastating flooding as the remnants of Tropical Storm Gabrielle moved across the Iberian region before coming to a halt over the Balearic Sea. The city of Valencia and the island of Ibiza were most impacted; Gandia registered 14 inches in a 12-hour period – significantly exceeding its average for the month, while Ibiza had 10 inches in a full day, its wettest day since at least the mid-20th century.

Roads, railway stations, parks, and school buildings were obliged to cease operations, while one gauge near Aldaia recorded over two inches in just half an hour, resulting in the local ravine to burst its banks. The flooding come just shy of a year after destructive floods in the region in the previous year that claimed the lives of more than 230 people.

Storm Bualoi Hits Vietnamese Regions

The powerful typhoon arrived onshore across the central part of Vietnam this week, bringing intense rainfall, high winds, and massive ocean waves. In excess of 12 inches of precipitation was observed within a 24-hour span on Monday, causing rapid flooding and rock slides that closed more than 3,000 roads and cut off local populations across the northern regions. Numerous air travel routes were halted or rescheduled, and rail transport between the capital Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were stopped.

There have been 36 deaths and 147 casualties, with 21 people still missing. Hundreds of thousands of residences were harmed or submerged, with more than 51,000 hectares of rice and other crops destroyed. Vietnam’s government has estimated that Bualoi has led to over $350 million in economic losses this week.