Axios

Australia's fire-ravaged east coast is being lashed by heavy storms that have caused flash flooding and travel disruptions. And Sydney has endured its wettest four days in 30 years, with 16.3 inches falling in that period, per the Bureau of Meteorology.

The big picture: Much of the state of New South Wales has been crippled by drought. Now, flooding has seen authorities order residents in low-lying areas of Sydney to evacuate. Tens of thousands of people were without power across the state. NSW Maritime said several boats sank amid "turbulent conditions at sea," The Guardian reports. Flooding has also been reported in the nearby state of Queensland.

Storm Ciara has unleashed heavy rains, hurricane-force winds and floods in northern Europe, causing widespread travel disruption, EuroNews reports.

Details: "Two of Europe's busiest airports — one in Frankfurt, Germany, the other in Amsterdam, Netherlands — each grounded more than 100 flights due to the storm," per CNN. Airlines also reported that flights were canceled or disrupted in the U.K., where the national weather agency issued over 250 flood warnings. Several British rail firms warned people to expect delays and urged them not to travel, AP notes.

Go deeper: British Airways rides storm winds in record-breaking transatlantic flight

A rocket launched by Iran's space program on Sunday failed to reach the speed necessary to get its Zafar 1 communications satellite into orbit, AP reports.

Why it matters: It's the latest disappointment for a program that the U.S. claims is in violation of a UN security resolution that calls on Iran to refrain from building ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons.