‘Biblical’ weather is hammering Spain with violent storms unleashing 100kph winds, flash floods, and chaos across the country.
Dramatic video shows palm trees snapping in half in Alicante and streets in Majorca turning into rivers as the Med braces for ‘hazardous’ thunderstorms and ‘extreme’ flooding.
It comes after forecaster Severe Weather Europe warned of ‘extremely high rainfall’ in three zones across the north-central Mediterranean on Wednesday and even possible tornadoes along Italy‘s western coasts.
Much of Alicante was placed on orange and yellow alerts on Monday for extreme rainfall and strong winds.
AEMET, also issued a red alert for the southern coastal and pre-coastal areas of Tarragona Monday due to the threat of torrential rain.
Warnings are in effect from 3pm to 9pm, with a staggering 90mm of rain possible in just one hour, raising the risk of flash flooding and sudden river surges.
Catalonia’s Civil Protection has activated INUNCAT, the region’s Special Flood Emergency Plan, and services are monitoring potentially dangerous river and stream levels.
‘Biblical’ weather is hammering Spain with violent storms, unleashing 100km/hr winds, flash floods, and chaos across the country. Pictured: Cars underwater after roads turned to rivers in Majorca
Dramatic video footage shows roads turning to rivers in Majorca as the Med braces for ‘hazardous’ thunderstorms and ‘extreme’ flooding. Pictured: A flooded road in Alicante
One video shows the moment a palm tree snaps in Alicante
Much of Alicante was placed on orange and yellow alerts on Monday for extreme rainfall and strong winds. Pictured: Footage shows trees blowing in the wind in Alicante
The hardest-hit areas include Tarragonès and Baix Camp, with alert zones extending later into Baix Ebre and Montsià this afternoon. Pictured: A car underwater in Alicante
Pictured: Trees with broken branches amid a storm in Alicante
Meanwhile, the Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya (Meteocat) has raised the danger level to 5 out of 6, forecasting up to 40 litres per square meter in just 30 minutes, and possibly 100 litres in 24 hours.
The hardest-hit areas include Tarragonès and Baix Camp, with alert zones extending later into Baix Ebre and Montsià this afternoon.
In response to the threat, the Catalan government has sent Es-Alert messages to residents in Baix Ebre and Montsià, urging them to avoid unnecessary travel and steer clear of flood-prone areas.
Majorca was also hit by the freak weather, which has brought gale-force winds, torrential rain and huge waves to its holiday hotspots.
Images from the island show cars underwater after roads turned to rivers, toppled trees, destroyed terraces and damaged boats.
The emergency services are receiving dozens of calls about damage, with restaurant and beach bar terraces devastated and boats over-turned.
Palma airport is also suffering substantial delays. More than 22 litres of water per square metre fell in just 10 minutes and 34 litres in an hour, according to the delegate and spokesperson for the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) in the Balearic Islands, María José Guerrero.
The south of Majorca has been, so far, the area most affected by the intense rainfall.
There are widespread delays as a result of the bad weather at the airport. Aena sources have indicated that the average delay is one hour.
Guests of more than 90km an hour were recorded. Majorca remains on orange alert, as more than 140 litres of water per square metre may fall in three or four hours.
The capital of Palma has activated its emergency plan and has closed parks and gardens.
The storm in the early hours of this morning hit the Andratx area, where some trees have fallen, damage to the terraces of some establishments and some damaged boats.
Pictured: A map showing a severe weather alerts for the Northern Mediterranean region
The Majorca emergency services are receiving dozens of calls about damage, with restaurant and beach bar terraces devastated and boats over-turned. Pictured: A damaged boat
Pictured: Toppled trees in Majorca after freak storms lashed Spain
The emergency service had a total of 50 incidents throughout Majorca even before 10am.
In the Camp de Mar area, five boats that were in the sailing club have been hit and the area has been sealed.
Some damage has also been done in the area of the port of Andratx, where the furniture of some terraces has broken or has been displaced by the strong gusts.
The torrent that flows into the beach of Camp de Mar woke up with a large amount of dirt and debris dragged by the water, just after municipal workers had carried out cleaning tasks to leave the area in good condition for visitors.
Andratx council expressed its gratitude for the swift response of the cleaning and security teams, who have been working since early morning to minimize the impact of this weather event on the municipality.
The passage of the storm, which has been accompanied by strong wind, has also resulted in the fall of trees.
The State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) predicts that instability will continue in the archipelago throughout the day after the storms recorded during the early morning.
Aemet and the government are advising people to take extreme precautions. Among the recommendations of the General Directorate of Emergencies is that of ‘avoiding trips by car if it is not absolutely necessary’.
However, it sends a message of reassurance, since ‘the situation is being monitored continuously and all the necessary preventive measures are being coordinated’
It comes after in July a series of freak storms struck popular Spanish tourist hotspots turning roads into powerful rivers while hail lashed down and turned streets white.
Dramatic footage shows dirty water gushing down streets and into houses in Murcia, southeastern Spain, while enormous grey clouds tower over the province.
The Murcia region was badly hit and in the city of Caravaca de la Cruz, a major pilgrimage site, golf-sized hail balls smashed down on cars.
Up to 20 residents from the city were evacuated and spent the night in a municipal sports pavilion, according to local reports.
The hail turned into enormous mounds of ice before quickly melting with rapids forming.
Mucky fast-flowing water streamed through the region, filling some homes and businesses, leaving the roads barren.
Cafes and restaurants were left empty with people taking shelter.
Calasparra and Casas Navarro were among the most affected areas.
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