Flooding and transport chaos as major storm hits Spain and Portugal

A storm system was causing widespread disruption across southern Spain and Portugal on Wednesday, bringing heavy rain and strong winds.

The Spanish weather service AEMET has warned that some areas could receive rainfall equivalent to a full year’s average within just a few hours.

In Spain’s Andalusia region, about 3,000 people were evacuated from low-lying residential areas due to flooding. Schools were shuttered, train services were suspended on some routes, and several roads were closed, the Spanish state broadcaster RTVE reported.

Conditions were similarly severe in Portugal, where recovery efforts were still under way following a powerful storm that hit last week and caused extensive damage.

New flooding triggered by latest storm, named Leonardo by the authorities, cut off several villages, caused rivers to burst their banks, and forced schools to remain closed. Road and rail traffic were disrupted, mainly due to landslides and fallen trees.

Portugal’s national broadcaster RTP reported that the ground was already saturated and unable to absorb further rainfall.

The Portuguese weather service IPMA warned that additional storms are expected in the coming days.

Warnings were also issued for the Spanish island of Mallorca, where the outer bands of Leonardo are expected to arrive on Thursday. AEMET issued a yellow alert, its third-highest warning level, for much of the island.

Wind gusts of up to 120 kilometres per hour are forecast in mountainous areas, while waves of up to 10 metres could affect the eastern and southern coasts.

For these regions, the weather service issued an orange alert, the second-highest warning level.