Heavy rains inundate Andalusia, Spain

Heavy rainfalls, that have been affecting parts of Andalusia, Spain since October 21, 2016, have triggered severe flooding in all regions. 562 weather-related incidents have been reported, homes and business have been inundated, the waters have disrupted traffic and flooded roads, one person has been reported dead and two people have been rescued from a flooded vehicle.

All eight provinces of Andalusia have been inundated while the worst affected has been Seville, the Floodlist reported. Over 60 mm (2.36 inches) of precipitation was reported in a 24 hour period between October 21 and 22 in at least four places in Seville. 85.4 mm (3.36 inches) was observed in Carrión de los Céspedes while 120 mm (4.72 inches) was reported in Rota in Cádiz, at the same time.

72-hr rainfall accumulation as observed by the GPM Core Observatory. Image credit: Google/NASA/JAXA/GPM

In a 24 hour period between October 22 and 23, 64.1 mm (2.52 inches) was recorded in Grazalema, Cádiz, 52.8 mm (2.07 inches) in San José del Valle, Cádiz, 50.4 mm (1.98 inches) in El Bosque, Cádiz, 42.8 mm (1.68 inches) in Almadén de la Plata, Sevilla, and 40.6 mm (1.59 inches) in Medina Sidonia, Cádiz.

In a period between October 23 and 24, 46.6 mm (1.83 inches) was recorded in El Cerro de Andévalo, Huelva, 32.2 mm (1.27 inches) in Alajar, Huelva, and 29.6 mm (1.16 inches) was reported in Barbate, Cádiz.

According to Andalusia's Emergency Coordination Center, 562 incidents were reported, 466 of which in Sevilla alone, 39 in Cádiz, 19 in Huelva, 18 in Malaga, 9 in Granada, 4 in Almeria, 4 in Cordoba and 3 in Jaen. More than 20 municipalities have been affected in Sevilla only.

As of early October 21, rainfall warnings in the range from yellow to orange were issued by Agencia Estatal de Meteorología (AEMET).

Featured image: Flooding in Spain, October 22, 2016. Image credit: @Juanmarp91