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Severe weather warnings remain in place across eastern Spain as Storm Alice continues to batter the Mediterranean coast.
Heavy downpours triggered flash floods in Catalonia over the weekend, turning streets in some tourist destinations into rivers of mud.
Videos shared online showed vehicles being swept away in torrents of brown water as emergency services rescued drivers trapped in submerged cars.
The worst may not be over, either. Spain’s national weather agency, Aemet, issued a red alert for parts of Valencia today, warning that up to 100 millimetres of rain could fall within just one hour.
Civil Protection officials urged residents to remain indoors, warning that conditions could worsen in the coming days.
“The situation is complicated, and more rain is forecast,” Cristina Vicente, a senior official at Catalonia’s Civil Protection agency, told Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia on Sunday.
Travel chaos continues across the Mediterranean coast
So far, no fatalities have been reported, but 18 people have been injured – including one seriously – and the storm has caused significant travel disruption.
Train services between Barcelona and Valencia were suspended along the Mediterranean corridor, affecting more than 3,000 passengers.
The AP-7 motorway was closed between Freginals and Ulldecona, while a military emergency unit was deployed to assist with drainage and debris clearance.
In the Balearic Islands, heavy rain and wind have wreaked havoc on air travel.
Ibiza Airport temporarily halted operations on Sunday evening after the runway and parts of the terminal flooded, forcing at least 24 flight cancellations and delays. Emergency crews also rescued several people trapped in vehicles on the island.
Yellow and orange weather warnings remain in place for Ibiza and Formentera through Tuesday. Some areas could see up to 50 millimetres within an hour.
More rain forecast for the rest of the week
Aemet has warned that heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected to continue through the week, with orange alerts for coastal areas in Alicante, Valencia and Castellón.
Some locations could see up to 300 millimetres of rain before the storm subsides, which is expected to occur Saturday, 18 October.
Storm Alice has been classified as a ‘DANA’ – short for Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos, or isolated depression in high levels.
These unique weather systems form when a pocket of cold air breaks away from the polar jet stream and settles over the warm Mediterranean.
Significant DANA events usually occur once or twice per decade, but the mix of extreme rain and flooding they create can be devastating.
In October 2024, Valencia was hit by one of the most intense DANAs in modern times. Catastrophic flooding killed more than 200 people and caused widespread destruction, as well as nationwide anger toward officials blamed for fumbling the response.
While this week’s storm has been less severe so far, authorities still urge caution as the combination of saturated earth and heavy rainfall raise the risk of flash floods and travel disruption across Spain’s eastern coast.
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