Storm Charles has brought destructive weather to the Iberian Peninsula this week, particularly impacting Portugal and the far south of Spain. Heavy rain and strong south-westerly winds initially struck the Portuguese island of Madeira before the system moved toward the mainland on November 11. Funchal airport recorded a wind gust of 84.5mph alongside rainfall totals reaching 355mm in a 12-hour period. Lisbon experienced 183 flight cancellations on Wednesday, representing about a third of its typical daily traffic, while Madrid Barajas airport registered 155 cancellations.
Following widespread flooding in Spain and Portugal, the weather system tracked north-eastward through southern France and toward northern Italy. This progression caused significant flooding in parts of Cannes, triggering rock falls and forcing the closure of coastal roads along the French Riviera. In response, the Italian weather service issued its highest-level red rainfall warning for an area stretching from Tuscany to Venezia. Forecasters predict additional heavy rain will affect Italy and the Balkans over the coming days, with models showing widespread accumulations of 100mm and potential totals near 200mm in mountainous regions.
In a separate weather event, successive rounds of heavy rain and strong winds have caused flooding, landslides, and widespread disruption across British Columbia, Canada, over the past week. Between Monday and Friday of last week, severe weather left more than 400,000 customers without power. These unsettled conditions persisted through the weekend, bringing down trees, flooding roads, and triggering landslides that left an additional 135,000 customers without electricity. Sunday recorded strong wind gusts reaching 72.1mph on Herbert Island and 60mph at Victoria international airport.
Heavy rain warnings were issued on Wednesday for Vancouver Island and southern coastal areas of British Columbia after multiple monitoring stations recorded rainfall totals exceeding 100mm. The River Forecast Centre also issued flood warnings across the south coast as continuous heavy rain and elevated streamflows increased the danger of flash flooding and landslides. Another low-pressure system is forecast to bring torrential rain and strong winds to the same Canadian region over the weekend, with more than 100mm of precipitation and gusts exceeding 60mph expected across central and southern parts of Vancouver Island.