Southeastern European Nations Confront Heightened Flooding Risk Because of Soggy Circumstances
Although tempests and tropical storms have raged in the Atlantic and Pacific east, the continent has encountered severe conditions of its own. An atmospheric depression that formed over the Mediterranean in the middle of the week moved north-east into the Balkan region on Thursday afternoon, bringing widespread showers, thunderstorms and extended precipitation.
Continuing Rainfall and Critical Alerts
The low-pressure area is forecast to remain into Friday, with forecasting tools showing 48-hour period accumulations of 80-130mm of rainfall across a large part of the Balkans. Highest-level advisories were issued for the nation of Serbia, southwestern Romania, north-east Greece, and the Dodecanese and North Aegean Islands, emphasizing the risk of floods and threat to life. Strong winds also forced the closure of schools on the island of Zakynthos in the Ionian Islands.
Cold Air Intensifies Harshness
Frigid temperatures brought in from the east increased the severity, generating deep snow across the Dinaric mountain range, with some models estimating snow levels of as much as 80 centimeters by the weekend.
Previous Flooding in Spain
Earlier in the week, eastern Spain and the Balearic archipelago endured serious flooding as the remnants of Tropical Storm Gabrielle moved across the Spanish peninsula before coming to a halt over the Balearic waters. The city of Valencia and Ibiza were most impacted; Gandia measured 14 inches in half a day – significantly exceeding its September average, while Ibiza had 254 millimeters in a full day, its rainiest day since at least the mid-20th century.
Highways, railway stations, public parks, and schools were compelled to shut down, while a rain gauge near Aldaia registered over two inches in just half an hour, causing the La Saleta waterway to flood. The flooding come just shy of a year after catastrophic flooding in the region in the previous year that claimed the lives of over 230 individuals.
Typhoon Bualoi Affects Vietnam
Tropical storm Bualoi made landfall across Vietnam's central region this past week, causing torrential rain, high winds, and large swells. In excess of 12 inches of rain was observed within a single day on Monday, causing sudden floods and landslides that obstructed over 3,000 highways and isolated communities across northern provinces. Numerous air travel routes were cancelled or delayed, and railway services between Hanoi and the southern metropolis were suspended.
Officials confirmed 36 fatalities and 147 injuries, with 21 people still missing. Hundreds of thousands of residences were harmed or submerged, with over 51,000 hectares of agricultural produce ruined. National officials has calculated that Bualoi has led to over $350 million in economic losses this past week.
