An unusual late-August Atlantic low-pressure system is bearing down on Spain's northwest, bringing heavy, persistent rain and wind gusts exceeding 70 km/h to the Iberian Peninsula on Monday, after the State Meteorological Agency warned last week of an abrupt end to the summer heat wave.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center monitored the system for potential subtropical development as it approached Galicia. The northwestern half of the Peninsula faces the heaviest downpours, while Catalonia and the Balearic Islands brace for severe thunderstorms with large hail, damaging gusts and possible tornadoes. Torrential rain in Tarragona already left 11 people injured and disrupted road and rail traffic, with more than 145 mm recorded in some areas.
Across Europe, wildfires continued to burn. The European Union deployed helicopters and firefighters to Serbia to battle a blaze that has scorched over 1,600 hectares in the Deliblatska Pescara reserve. In Spain, a lightning-sparked fire near Segorbe burned 630 hectares, forcing the evacuation of more than 1,000 residents from Gatova. Storms in Poland have triggered over 6,500 emergency responses since Friday.