Red weather alerts have been issued and thousands evacuated as a powerful storm has brought torrential rain and high winds to Spain just weeks after deadly flash floods hit the country.
Spanish weather forecaster Aemet raised Valencia’s warning level to the maximum on Wednesday evening, after the region became the hardest hit in the extreme weather only two weeks ago.
The province joins Malaga in the Costa del Sol as well as Tarragona, both of which are already under red weather alerts, as Spain once again finds itself battling rising floodwaters after flash floods killed more than 200 people and destroyed homes.
In the Malaga province, around 3,000 people living along the Guadalhorce River have been evacuated and the city’s main hospital is now limiting services to emergencies only. Pictures on social media show medics wading through water flowing through the ward’s corridors.
The Costa del Sol, including popular tourist destinations like Marbella, Estepona, and Vélez, is bearing the brunt of the extreme weather phenomenon known as a “Dana”, which will see up to 7.1 inches of rain in some areas within hours.
Flood warnings extend across much of southern Spain, with meteorologists cautioning that rivers could overflow and gusts of up to 74 miles per hour may worsen the situation.
Classes have been suspended in schools in Malaga, Valencia and some municipalities of Catalonia. Aemet warns of rainfall and storms that could be “very strong to torrential”.
Key points
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Weather alert in Valencia raised to red just weeks after deadly flash floods hit region hardest
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Further hospital closures across the region
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Bodies of missing Spanish boys found two weeks after flash floods
Weather alert in Valencia raised to red just weeks after deadly flash floods hit region hardest
17:53 , Tara Cobham
The weather alert in Valencia has been raised to red – the maximum level – just two weeks after the province became the hardest-hit area in deadly flash floods.
Aemet, Spain’s weather forecaster, issued the fresh warning just after 6pm, local time, announcing that it will be in force today and tomorrow due to the rain.
Valencia joins Malaga and Tarragona, which are already under the maximum alert level red.
Train service between Valencia and Barcelona impacted by extreme weather
17:30 , Tara Cobham
The train service between Valencia and Barcelona has been impacted by the extreme weather, according to Spain’s railway network manager.
ADIF reported this afternoon that the Valencia-Barcelona line between Castelló and Cambrils “is interrupted due to the weather conditions in the area”.
Está interrumpida la circulación de la línea Valencia-Barcelona entre Castelló y Cambrils por las condiciones meteorológicas de la zona.
— INFOAdif (@InfoAdif) November 13, 2024
Torrential rains also lash Valencian Community
17:04 , Tara Cobham
Torrential rains are also lashing the Valencian Community, according to the Spanish weather agency.
Aemet, the state meteorological agency, reported a rain guage on a river in Traiguera, Castellón, recorded 106 litres per square metre – more than half in the last hour.
“The intensity is torrential,” the Valencian arm of the agency said this afternoon.
En el pluviómetro de Traiguera de la @CHJucar situado en el rio Sèrvol, se han registrado 106.4 l/m2, más de la mitad en la última hora. La intensidad es torrencial.
— AEMET_C. Valenciana (@AEMET_CValencia) November 13, 2024
Benamargosa River partially bursts banks
16:43 , Rachel Hagan
The Benamargosa River in the Axarquia region has partially burst over its banks, El Pais has reported.
The river’s level has surged rapidly in recent hours after the overflow of the nearby Solano dam, which usually protects the area.
“We advise residents to remain indoors. In flood-prone areas, please move to higher floors and avoid approaching the riverbed,” the Benamargosa Town Hall announced around 4 pm.
The overflow has impacted several fields and some homes in the area.
All train services in Malaga stopped
16:18 , Rachel Hagan
All train services in Malaga province have been halted, including the high speed train between Madrid and Malaga, while Malaga’s train station was evacuated due to flooding, national rail infrastructure operator Adif has said.
Where are the red weather warnings in place?
15:58 , Rachel Hagan
At the time of writing, there are four red weather warnings in place across the country in eastern Tarragona and southern Malaga provinces.
The warning says they can expect to receive as much as 7.1 inches per square metre of heavy to torrential rain within 12 hours which could cause rivers to overflow and generate flash floods.
The warnings are for: – Sun and Guadalhorce, Malaga- Axarquia, Malaga- Tarragona’s southern coast
Anger grows over Valencia chief’s long lunch on day of floods
15:27 , Rachel Hagan
On the day that catastrophic floods devastated Spain‘s Valencia region, which left around 220 people dead, the region’s top official was reportedly at a long lunch until about 6pm, with water already suring suring through towns.
Growing public anger came to a head on Saturday when 130,000 people took to the streets of Valencia and called for Mr Mazon’s resignation. Photos of the protest showed signs saying: “You killed us”, and “Our hands are stained with mud, yours with blood.”Mr Mazon’s office confirmed that he had lunch at a restaurant near the regional government headquarters in Valencia but declined to disclose his dining companion. According to Spanish media, he did not leave the restaurant until 6pm, by which time the town of Utiel was already flooded and the national weather service, Aemet, had issued a red alert. His government’s emergency meeting had started an hour earlier, at 5pm.
Mr Mazon’s conservative people’s party has called on him to explain his movements. He pledged to provide answers when he appears in parliament this week and said on Monday, according to EuroNews, that “mistakes may have been made.”
Bodies of missing Spanish boys found two weeks after flash floods
15:11 , Rachel Hagan
The bodies of two young brothers who went missing in floods that struck Spain’s eastern Valencia region two weeks ago have been found, the Civil Guard confirmed on Wednesday.
Ruben and Izan Matias Calatayud, aged 3 and 5, were found in separate locations near Catarroja, 6 miles downstream from their home in Torrent, a suburb of Valencia city, where they went missing when the floods hit at the end of October.
Their aunt Barbara Sastre told Spain’s state TVE last week that the boys’ mother was working in Valencia and their father was with them at the family home when the flood hit.
“The three of them were dragged out,” she said. Their unnamed father tried to keep hold of them, but they were swept away by the tide of water, state news agency EFE reported.
He survived by grabbing hold of a tree, TVE added.
Sastre told TVE that the wait for news had left the family “destroyed”.
Further hospital closures across the region
14:56 , Rachel Hagan
The Andalusian Government has announced that all health centres in the city of Malaga, Nerja, Torrox, Colmenar, Rincon de la Victoria will be closed that afternoon.
Others in Fuengirola, Torremolinos and Benalmádena will also be closed. Almost all of the centres in the province have already been closed since 3pm.
The Regional Hospital, known as Carlos Haya, has also cancelled all its scheduled activity for the afternoon.
This is all in addition to the flooding that has affected the Virgen de la Victoria University Hospital in Malaga, where they are only providing care in A&E.
