Parts of Spain have been left submerged after fresh flooding struck Catalonia and the Balearic Islands.
Heavy rainstorms left Catalan cities underwater, while several airports in the region were forced to close due to lightning strikes and strong winds after dangerous weather battered the area on Thursday morning.
Dramatic footage shows cars sinking in floodwater, residents running from intense rainstorms, and high streets submerged in a deluge of brown water.
A flood alert was in place on Thursday morning, with residents being warned to take “extreme precautions” as the weather approached.
It ended shortly before 2pm, but widespread disruption continued after flooding and fallen trees led to the cancellations of trains, flights, and university classes.
A pre-alert remains in place due to forecasts of continued heavy rainfall in northeastern Catalonia, with a risk of further rain reaching up to 20mm in half an hour, Catalan News reported.
Firefighters responded to nearly 400 incidents on Thursday relating to the flooding, most of which came from the Metropolitan North.
The Meteorological Service of Catalonia reported that the highest rainfall totals were recorded in Caldes de Montbui, reaching up to 81.7 litres per square metre, according to El Pais.
Heavy rainfall, including 35 litres of rainwater per square metre which dropped on Sant Hilari in just 20 minutes, has caused localised flooding in four low-lying areas of the region.
Data from the Catalan Ministry of the Interior showed that 22,000 fewer vehicles travelled on Catalan roads on Thursday morning than on the same day last year, according to El Periodico.
Catalonia’s interior minister Núria Parlon said her ministry’s policy regarding the floods is to “promote a culture of self-protection” adding that it is a “process we have to get used to”.
Several trains were suspended, including on the R15 line where a collapsed wall caused major disruptions. Meanwhile at El Prat airport, 47 flights were cancelled, two of which were diverted to other destinations
It comes one year after Spain suffered one of the worst floods in its history, when 237 people were killed after a year's worth of rain drenched areas around Valencia in just one day.
The disaster occurred when an unusual weather pattern known locally as “gota fría” or “cold drop” hit the eastern coast of Spain. It occurs when a cold air mass interacts with warmer, moisture-laden Mediterranean air, triggering heavy rainfall over a concentrated area.
Spain’s national weather service said it rained more in eight hours in the Valencian town of Chiva than it had in the preceding 20 months.
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