Spain evacuates thousands as storm hits transport, schools

A storm bringing what weather forecasters called "extraordinary" rain battered the Iberian peninsula on Wednesday, forcing thousands of people in southern Spain from their homes, shutting schools, and cancelling trains.

Spanish weather agency AEMET placed parts of the southern region of Andalusia under the highest red alert for torrential rain, warning that Storm Leonardo risked triggering floods and landslides.

An "extraordinary amount of rain" was arriving in a region where "the ground is very saturated, and riverbeds are already carrying a lot of water" from recent precipitation, AEMET spokesman Ruben del Campo said.

More than 3,000 residents were evacuated from flood-prone areas on Tuesday as a precaution, Andalusian emergency services said, reporting more than 150 incidents without substantial damage on Wednesday.

Hundreds of soldiers were deployed to assist the rescue services, while all Andalusian schools were closed apart from in the region's easternmost province of Almeria.

State railway company Renfe announced the cancellation of almost all suburban, regional, and long-distance trains across Andalusia, with no bus replacement services possible due to the state of the roads, some of which were closed.

In October 2024, Spain suffered its deadliest floods in decades, with more than 230 people killed, mostly in the eastern region of Valencia.

In neighbouring Portugal, where severe weather killed five people last week, part of the coast was under an orange alert as Leonardo swept in from the Atlantic Ocean.

The emergency services had responded to almost 200 incidents, including localised flooding, landslides, and falling trees, which caused no victims or major damage, the Civil Protection service told AFP.

The Lisbon region and the Algarve in the south were most affected, with the rain and wind predicted to reach peak intensity overnight Wednesday to Thursday.

Scientists say human-driven climate change is making extreme weather events longer, more frequent, and more intense.

AFP