Red weather alerts have been issued and thousands evacuated as a powerful storm brings 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 was hit hardest in the extreme weather that lashed the country only two weeks ago.
The province joins Malaga in the Costa del Sol, which is already under a red weather alert, as Spain once again finds itself battling rising floodwaters after the recent flash floods killed more than 200 people and destroyed homes.
In the Malaga province, around 3,000 people living along the Guadalhorce River and reportedly a further 1,100 near the Vélez River have been evacuated, while the city’s main hospital is now limiting services to emergencies only after it flooded.
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.
Red weather alerts lifted in Valencia
Red weather alerts have been lifted in Valencia after initially coming into force at 6pm on Wednesday.
National forecaster Aemet said: “The worst of this second storm has passed.
“We have lowered the warning to orange on the coast of Valencia and raised it to orange on the northern coast of Alicante, where it is now raining heavily on the beaches of Dénia.”
Where has rain been heaviest as new flooding hits Spain?
Over 3,000 people have now been evacuated from Malaga as a powerful storm brings heavy rains to Spain. It comes just weeks after devestating flooding in Valencia, on the country’s east coast, killed over 200 people.
A weather map shows where has been hardest hit by the rain. Malaga can be seen highlighted in red in the South, as some parts of the north east (nearer Barcelona) also see storms.
In pictures: Torrential rain lashes Spain just two weeks after deadly flash floods
Is it safe to travel to Spain and should I cancel my holiday after flooding disaster?
Thousands of residents have been evacuated along the Guadalhorce River west of Malaga due to a high risk of flooding, while hospitals have already been overwhelmed with water as medics have been pictured wading through water in ward corridors.
Spanish airport authorities have asked that those flying out of Malaga’s airport and El Prat Airport in Barcelona to check with their airline before they travel for flight updates.
My colleague Amelia Neath reports:
Finals of Billie Jean King tennis tournament in Malaga cancelled due to heavy rain
The finals of the Billie Jean King tennis tournament in Malaga were cancelled due to the heavy rain.
Pictures show the rain soaked venue, the Martín Carpena pavilion, on Wednesday, with the event postponed to Friday.
Watch: Heavy rain hits Valencia while region still recovering from recent floods
Non-essential activities cancelled and citizens told to work from home
Many municipalities in flood-hit areas have cancelled all non-essential activities, and told citizens to work from home and follow emergency services’ updates.
Volunteers have also been asked to suspend clean-up operations and piling up sandbags for extra protection following the devastation of the extreme weather that hit Spain two weeks ago.
The coming storms also obliged the suspension of rescue efforts by teams still searching for missing people off the coast of Valencia, Spain’s maritime rescue service said.
Impact of rain in hard-hit Valencia could be severe, warns local official
The impact of the rain could be severe in Valencia after the region was hit hardest by the extreme weather that lashed Spain two weeks ago, a spokesperson for its emergency committee has warned.
Rosa Tauris told reporters on Tuesday this is because of the significant quantities of mud already on the ground and because of the condition of the sewage system in the province.
Watch: Torrential rain in Spainish village Benidoleig
New storms and flooding in Spain close schools and cause train cancellations
New storms in Spain caused school closures and train cancellations on Wednesday, two weeks after flash floods in Valencia and other parts of the country killed more than 220 people and destroyed thousands of homes.
In southern Malaga province, streets were flooded, while 3,000 people near the Guadalhorce river were moved from their homes as a preventive measure. Schools across the province were closed, along with many stores. Trains traveling between Malaga and Madrid on the high-speed AVE rail line were cancelled.
There were no reports of any deaths.
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Source: independent.co.uk