Kosovo has been hit this week by prolonged and intense rainfall, triggering widespread flooding across the country, the British newspaper The Guardian reports.
Cities, towns, and villages were inundated as rivers overflowed their banks, isolating entire communities. Emergency services were forced to rescue residents trapped inside their homes, while many households were left without drinking water and electricity.
According to the report, power outages affected the municipalities of Drenas, Malisheva, and Rahovec, after floodwaters penetrated electrical substations, disrupting energy supply.
Extreme Rainfall Recorded
Individual weather stations across southwestern Kosovo recorded more than 50 millimetres of rainfall within 24 hours on Tuesday and Wednesday. In some local stations in Malisheva, rainfall reached nearly 80 millimetres in the same period.
These conditions followed earlier heavy rainfall from Saturday to Monday, during which official meteorological stations in Junik and Gllogjan in western Kosovo recorded 231.5 mm and 151.6 mm of rain respectively within just two days.
An additional 130 mm of rainfall fell in the Junik region on Tuesday, significantly worsening the situation and triggering landslides alongside flooding.
Severe Weather Across Europe
The Guardian also highlighted severe weather conditions across Europe, noting that the UK Met Office issued a red warning for strong winds from 4:00 pm to 11:00 pm on Thursday across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, as Storm Goretti swept through the English Channel.
While southwestern England experienced extreme winds nearing 100 mph, it was Météo-France that officially named the storm, anticipating severe impacts in northwestern France.
Destructive winds exceeding 80 mph were forecast, with gusts reaching 132 mph in Normandy and 94 mph overnight, while areas as far inland as Paris recorded winds of up to 65 mph.
Ongoing Risks
Coastal flood warnings remain in effect in northwestern France, particularly along the northern coast of Brittany, where waves of 6 to 9 metres and storm surges of up to 1.5 metres during high tide were reported.
Storm Goretti is expected to continue moving eastward across continental Europe over the weekend. Although wind intensity may gradually decrease, blizzard-like conditions pose a serious threat, with heavy snowfall forecast across Germany and the Benelux region.
