Severe storm, torrential rains hit parts of Spain, causing widespread floods

Torrential rains swept across parts of Spain, including the Balearic Islands, on August 14 and 15, 2024, causing widespread flooding, evacuations, and flight cancellations. The Spanish Emergency Military Unit (UME) confirmed on August 15, that it had been deployed to Mallorca to assist with the crisis.

The Spanish national weather agency AEMET issued a Ret alert ahead of the storm, and downgraded to an Orange alert across the region on Thursday, August 15, indicating a continued high risk of storms.

The island of Menorca received more than 200 mm (78 inches) of rain in less than a day — more than 10 times its average August rainfall.

Regional firefighters reported that areas in central Palma de Mallorca had been cordoned off and 29 people evacuated from a train traveling between Palma and Manacor due to flooding. The Civil Guard police also reported evacuating a dozen people from the town of Soller in Mallorca.

More than 50 flights were canceled across airports in the Balearic Islands since the rainstorm began on Wednesday. Delays are expected to continue, according to Spanish airport operator Aena. Additionally, two planes were diverted to Almeria and another en route to Ibiza was diverted to Alicant due to dangerous skies on Wednesday morning. Flights to Liverpool and Manchester were canceled for safety reasons.

In mainland Spain, Valencia was particularly hard hit by the severe weather, with continuous wind and rain causing floods and the collapse of a supermarket roof, leading to the evacuation of approximately 300 people.

In the Costa Blanca region, more than 40 mm (1.57 inches) fell throughout the day, leading to further flight disruptions despite relatively lighter rainfall near Alicante-Elche airport.

The regional emergency service in the Balearic Islands reported receiving around 180 calls related to storm incidents in 24 hours between Wednesday and Thursday. Nine people were injured on the island of Formentera on Wednesday, and a fisherman was rescued by the Spanish coast guard.

AEMET had forecasted the arrival of a cold front from the Atlantic, which quickly evolved into a DANA (cutoff low), bringing cold winds, torrential rain, and thunderstorms. DANA is the Spanish word for Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos which translates to Isolated High-Altitude Depression.

It is a meteorological phenomenon characterized by a low-pressure system that becomes isolated from the main atmospheric circulation at high altitudes, typically in the upper troposphere. This system can lead to severe weather conditions, including heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, strong winds, and sometimes hail.

DANA events are particularly significant in Spain and the Mediterranean region because they can cause intense and localized rainfall, leading to flash floods and other weather-related hazards. These events often occur in late summer and early autumn when the warm Mediterranean Sea provides the moisture needed for such storms.

The Balearic Islands and the Mediterranean coast were the worst affected, with wind speeds reaching 100 km/h (62 mph) in Mallorca. Other regions, including Catalonia, Valencia, and Murcia, also faced severe weather warnings.

In Murcia, a total of 96 emergency calls related to the storm were made to the Emergency Coordination Centre between noon and 19:30 on Wednesday. Additionally, a train on the Murcia-Alicante line collided with a tree that had fallen on the tracks during the extreme weather, causing significant delays for commuters.

References:

¹ Wild weather hits Spain: Storms, floods, accidents and delays to travel – EW -August 16, 2024

² People evacuated, flights cancelled as storm hits Spain’s Mallorca – Reuters – August 15, 2024

Rishav Kothari

I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.

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