Weather madness in parts of Spain

Severe weather, marked by unusually heavy rain and snow, has been affecting large parts of Spain for days. At times, the state weather service, Aemet, issued the highest level of alert. A 50-year-old man died when floodwaters swept his vehicle away near Lorca. The province of Valencia, which suffered a devastating flood last October that claimed over 200 lives, has also been impacted.

In Valencia city, school lessons and the daily Mascletà fireworks of the Falla festivals have been canceled not only for Tuesday but also for Wednesday, as reported by the «FAZ». This time, the area around Castellón has been hit particularly hard. The highest storm warning level, marked as "red," was also issued at times in Ronda, in the hinterland of the Costa del Sol, as well as in Málaga.

On Tuesday, the Aemet meteorological service warned that the storm would also last longer in other places. The heaviest precipitation is expected in the south of Valencia, in neighboring areas of Tarragona and in the north of Alicante. There were also weather warnings for the Levante coast in the area of Almería due to high waves and storm winds.

Interruption of operations at Gran Canaria Airport

The Canary Islands were also hit by severe storms. Heavy rainfall caused flooding and traffic delays. The city of Telde was particularly affected, with water collecting in the streets and garages and barrancos bursting their banks.

Gran Canaria Airport had to close for 40 minutes on Tuesday due to water on the runways, which led to the diversion of 18 flights to Tenerife South and Fuerteventura. Even after that, operations were temporarily limited, as reported in the newspaper «El Día».

The freak weather also hit the carnival events in Las Palmas. Many streets were temporarily under water. However, the heavy rains affected not only the region around Gran Canaria’s capital but also other areas.

In particular, the northwest of the island, including Agaete and Valsequillo, was also affected. In Valsequillo, large boulders fell from a cliff onto a road and damaged a delivery van. Meanwhile, the authorities in Santa María de Guía were working to clear muddy roads and access roads from the floodwaters.

According to Aemet meteorologists, the low pressure area is gradually moving further east, which should slowly ease the situation from Wednesday. Nevertheless, the risk of isolated heavy rain showers remains in Lanzarote and in eastern parts of Gran Canaria.