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As tempests and hurricanes have swirled in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific, the continent has encountered extreme conditions of its own. A weather disturbance that developed over the Mediterranean Sea midweek moved north-east into south-eastern European countries on Thursday morning, bringing widespread showers, stormy weather and extended precipitation.

Continuing Precipitation and Critical Warnings

The system is expected to remain into Friday, with models suggesting 48-hour period amounts of three to five inches of rainfall across much of the Balkans. Red weather warnings were activated for Serbia, Romania's southwest, north-east Greece, and the Greek isles, underscoring the risk of flooding and risk to human safety. Powerful gusts also forced the closure of schools on the island of Zakynthos in the Ionian sea islands.

Cold Air Adds Severe Conditions

Frigid temperatures drawn in from eastern Europe added to the severity, causing significant snowfalls across the Dinaric Alps, with several predictions estimating snow levels of nearly three feet by the weekend.

Previous Flooding in Spanish Regions

Previously, Spain's eastern coast and the Balearics endured severe floods as the remains of the former hurricane crossed the Spanish peninsula before slowing over the Balearic Sea. Valencia and the island of Ibiza were worst affected; The town of Gandia recorded 14 inches in a 12-hour period – significantly exceeding its typical September rainfall, while Ibiza had 254 millimeters in 24 hours, its most precipitation in a day since at least 1952.

Streets, transit hubs, green spaces, and educational facilities were obliged to cease operations, while a measuring device near the area of Aldaia measured 57 millimeters in just 35 minutes, resulting in the local ravine to burst its banks. The flooding come just shy of a year after catastrophic flooding in the region in the previous year that caused the death of over 230 individuals.

Storm Bualoi Impacts Vietnam

The powerful typhoon made landfall across Vietnam's central region this week, delivering intense rainfall, strong winds, and massive ocean waves. Over 300 millimeters of rain was observed within a 24-hour span on Monday, causing sudden floods and rock slides that blocked thousands of routes and isolated local populations across the northern regions. Numerous air travel routes were halted or rescheduled, and railway services between the capital Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were suspended.

Authorities reported 36 lives lost and 147 injuries, with 21 persons still unaccounted for. Over 210,000 homes were harmed or submerged, with in excess of 126,000 acres of farmland destroyed. Vietnam’s government has calculated that the typhoon has resulted in over $350 million in economic losses this recent period.