Just two weeks after devastating flash floods in Valencia and other parts of Spain claimed the lives of over 220 people and left thousands of homes in ruins, new storms have brought renewed disruption, causing school closures and train cancellations on Wednesday.
Coastal areas of Valencia were placed under the highest alert on Wednesday evening, with forecasters predicting up to 7 inches of rain within a five-hour period.
Cleanup efforts in the hardest-hit areas of Valencia, ravaged by the October 29 storm, are still ongoing, and concerns remain about the potential impact of further rain on streets still littered with mud and debris.
In southern Malaga province, streets were flooded, and as a precautionary measure, 3,000 people living near the Guadalhorce river were evacuated from their homes. Schools across the province were closed, along with numerous stores. Train services between Malaga and Madrid, and between Barcelona and Valencia, were canceled.
Valencia’s regional government also imposed restrictions on the use of private vehicles until Thursday in areas affected by the October storm, where tsunami-like floods resulted in severe car pile-ups.
Thankfully, no deaths have been reported due to the new storms.
Spanish weather forecaster AEMET issued a red alert for Malaga, reporting that approximately 3 inches of rain had accumulated within an hour. Parts of Tarragona province in the east also experienced heavy rainfall and remained under red alert.
The downpour in Malaga led to the postponement of the tennis finals between Spain and Poland, which were scheduled for Wednesday.
The storm system currently affecting Spain is a result of warm air colliding with stagnant cold air, leading to the formation of powerful rain clouds. Experts attribute this phenomenon to climate change, suggesting that such events are likely to become more frequent in the future.