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Expat residents, tourists and locals in Spain hit by monstrous storms and a tornado
| Published: | 28 Aug at 6 PM |
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As massive thunderstorms and floods hit Spain’s favourite expat locations, Madrid residents are trapped in biblical-style floods.
Worst hit was Arganda, a semi-rural district to the southeast of Madrid, with huge storms releasing torrents of rain turning the streets to rapids and washing away cars just a few minutes after the storm broke. The capital’s metro was badly affected with its lines 5 and 9 cut off, and parts of the M30 and M40 motorways are under water. The fast-moving hailstorm hit yesterday between 5.30 and 6pm, with 40 litres of hail falling per square metre, wrecking cars as well as destroying a number of local vineyards and damaging homes.
Residents in the area told the media the storm had only lasted for around 10 minutes, but caused a disaster due to the unbelievable amount of precipitation. A shop owner described scenes of chaos as business owners found their premises totally flooded. In Malaga, some eight litres of rain fell in an hour, and a tornado ripped through the small northern provincial town of Campillos, destroying power lines, olive groves and causing the mayor to describe the scene as ‘the worst’.
The holiday and expat retirement island of Ibiza also experienced flooding, with cars submerged and homes and businesses damaged. Majorca and other Balearic islands are next in the firing line for torrential downpours and massive storms, with flights being diverted or delayed and warnings given to residents, expats and tourists. The Spanish meteorological agency registered over 9,000 lightning bolts during the six-hour duration of the storms, and travel chaos is continuing across the affected areas.
Worst hit was Arganda, a semi-rural district to the southeast of Madrid, with huge storms releasing torrents of rain turning the streets to rapids and washing away cars just a few minutes after the storm broke. The capital’s metro was badly affected with its lines 5 and 9 cut off, and parts of the M30 and M40 motorways are under water. The fast-moving hailstorm hit yesterday between 5.30 and 6pm, with 40 litres of hail falling per square metre, wrecking cars as well as destroying a number of local vineyards and damaging homes.
Residents in the area told the media the storm had only lasted for around 10 minutes, but caused a disaster due to the unbelievable amount of precipitation. A shop owner described scenes of chaos as business owners found their premises totally flooded. In Malaga, some eight litres of rain fell in an hour, and a tornado ripped through the small northern provincial town of Campillos, destroying power lines, olive groves and causing the mayor to describe the scene as ‘the worst’.
The holiday and expat retirement island of Ibiza also experienced flooding, with cars submerged and homes and businesses damaged. Majorca and other Balearic islands are next in the firing line for torrential downpours and massive storms, with flights being diverted or delayed and warnings given to residents, expats and tourists. The Spanish meteorological agency registered over 9,000 lightning bolts during the six-hour duration of the storms, and travel chaos is continuing across the affected areas.
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