South-Eastern Europe Face Elevated Flooding Risk Because of Wet Conditions
Although cyclones and hurricanes have swirled in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific, the continent has encountered intense conditions of its own. A low-pressure system that formed over the Mediterranean Sea midweek traveled north-east into south-eastern European countries on Thursday morning, bringing widespread rain showers, stormy weather and prolonged rainfall.
Persistent Rains and Serious Warnings
The system is predicted to remain into the end of the week, with models showing 48-hour period amounts of 80-130mm of precipitation across much of the Balkans. Red weather warnings were activated for the nation of Serbia, southwestern Romania, northeastern Greece, and the Greek isles, underscoring the danger of inundation and risk to human safety. Strong winds also forced the closure of classes on Zakynthos in the Ionian archipelago.
Cold Air Contributes Severe Conditions
Cold air brought in from the east increased the seriousness, causing deep snow across the Alpine region, with some models estimating accumulations of up to 80cm by the weekend.
Previous Floods in Spanish Regions
Just days before, Spain's eastern coast and the Balearic Islands experienced serious floods as the remains of Hurricane Gabrielle moved across the Iberian peninsula before slowing over the Balearic waters. The city of Valencia and the island of Ibiza were most impacted; The town of Gandia recorded 356.8mm in half a day – more than 10 times its typical September rainfall, while the island had 10 inches in one day, its most precipitation in a day since at least 1952.
Streets, transit hubs, public parks, and educational facilities were forced to close, while one gauge near Aldaia recorded 57mm in just 35 minutes, leading to the La Saleta waterway to flood. The floods come nearly one year after devastating floods in the region in the previous year that caused the death of over 230 individuals.
Tropical Cyclone Bualoi Impacts Vietnam
Tropical storm Bualoi struck the coast across central Vietnam this week, bringing intense rainfall, powerful gusts, and massive ocean waves. Over 300 millimeters of rainfall was recorded within a 24-hour span on the start of the week, causing rapid flooding and mudslides that obstructed more than 3,000 roads and cut off villages across provinces in the north. Dozens of flights were cancelled or delayed, and railway services between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were halted.
There have been 36 lives lost and 147 casualties, with 21 people still missing. Over 210,000 homes were impacted or inundated, with more than 51,000 hectares of farmland destroyed. National officials has estimated that the storm has caused more than $350m in damage to property this week.
