Spain issues ‘extreme weather’ warning after it’s hit with huge hail storms
Cars were filmed being swept away down a street which became a raging torrent during freak rain in Spain.
The country’s weather office issued a rare red alert for bad weather, its maximum warning level for extreme danger, today.
Video showed how hail stones the size of golf balls left dents in vehicle bodywork and smashed windows.
Eastern areas were worst hit, with amber warnings for rain and storms also issued for the Valencia region.
There have been hundreds of calls to emergency services, with the military called in to deal with the unfolding disruption.
In one such rescue, a family trapped in a car with three children on a dirt road had to be helped to safety.
El Ejido in Almeria was one one of the hardest hit areas, with many basements and garages flooded as well as the ground floor or people’s homes.
A high-speed train travelling between Malaga and Madrid was reported to have come off the track as it passed through a region where the Guadalhorce River burst its banks.
People were also being rescued by helicopter in the same town after getting trapped in their homes as the water levels kept rising.
The floods are expected to cause millions of euros of damage, with the Valencian Farmers Association telling Spanish newspaper El Mundo that ‘up to 100% of the harvest’ could be lost as trees and soil were churned up and agricultural infrastructure damage.
The organisation said it is still to early to know the full extent of the damage because farmers ‘have not yet been able to access many of their affected fields, either because the roads remain impassable, or because during today they gave preference to bailing out the water that flooded their homes or warehouses or to taking care of the damaged vehicles and other property.’
Spain is seeing such heavy rain due to what is being referred to as aDANA locally (standing for an Isolated Depression at High Levels).
It saw a sharp drop in temperatures followed by heavy rain, with warm moist air driven inland from the Mediterranean.
The UK’s Met Office said: ‘Heavy showers and thunderstorms continue to bring significant flash flooding and disruption to parts of eastern Spain this week, with the peak activity most likely through today.
‘Expect frequent lightning but also large hail too.’
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