Heavy rain again in Spain

Two weeks after the devastating floods, fears of another catastrophe are growing in southern Spain. The highest severe weather warning level has been declared for parts of the Valencia region as well as the provinces of Málaga and Tarragona.

Just two weeks after the so-called flood of the century in Spain with more than 220 deaths, the country is being hit by new, violent storms. This time the Andalusian province of Málaga is badly affected. The heavy rainfall flooded numerous streets there, including in the regional capital of the same name.

Train, car and bus traffic was significantly affected in the afternoon, state television broadcaster RTVE reported. The Spanish weather service declared the highest red warning level for Málaga. The highest warning level also applies to the northeastern province of Tarragona in Catalonia and parts of the disaster region of Valencia.

The devastating storm on October 29th particularly affected Valencia in eastern Spain. In Valencia, almost 80 communities were severely damaged and at least 215 deaths were recorded. 17 people are still missing there. According to the preliminary official balance, the tragedy claimed a total of 223 lives.

Closed schools, interrupted train lines

No deaths or injuries have been reported in Málaga so far. According to media reports, the storms caused major problems in this and also in the neighboring province of Granada. Some bus and subway lines were disrupted. Parts of rail traffic have been temporarily suspended, including the high-speed connection between Málaga and the capital Madrid, which is important for Spain.

The rain and strong winds also disrupted the program of the world’s top women’s tennis: To ensure the safety of everyone involved, the organizers of the Billie Jean King Cup postponed the opening game between hosts Spain and Poland to Friday. Germany is also there. In Málaga, around 3,000 people had already been evacuated as a precaution in a river area threatened by flooding before the storm. Classes were canceled at dozens of schools, and some courts and offices also remained closed.

Cleanup work in Valencia continue

In Valencia, rescue and clean-up work continues at full speed. In some communities, emergency services tried to clear the sewage system, which was still partially blocked by mud, before the expected rain so that the rainwater could flow away unhindered. Many streets are still blocked by cars and household goods pushed into one another.

Heavy rain had already fallen over the holiday island of Mallorca yesterday afternoon and night, and there were some small landslides and fallen trees locally, as the emergency service for the Balearic Islands announced on X. Today the sun was mostly shining again and the storms were moving west towards mainland Spain. All severe weather warnings for Mallorca and the rest of the Balearic Islands have now been lifted.

“Every drop of water means fear”

The low pressure area is based on the same “cold drop” phenomenon typical of the Mediterranean region as that of October 29th. A good two weeks ago, as much water fell in eight hours in some places as usual in a whole year – locally up to 490 liters per square meter, as Aemet announced.

This time, meteorologists do not expect such large amounts of rain. Nevertheless, many people are very worried after the so-called storm of the century two weeks ago. “Every drop of water means fear,” one woman told state broadcaster RTVE.