Torrential rain battered eastern Spain, unleashing severe flooding that left four people dead, inundated streets, washed cars away, and forced thousands of people to stay indoors.
The downpour from Storm Adam cut off several towns along the Mediterranean coast as rivers burst their banks and streets turned into torrents, leaving scenes reminiscent of the catastrophic flooding that killed more than 230 people in the Valencia region two years ago.
The bodies of two people were found in the Valencian town of Oliva during rescue operations.
One was a 79-year-old woman found in her home, while another was a man who suffered a fatal heart attack at a local campsite.
In nearby Sagunto, a body was found washed up on the beach, and in Cabrera de Mar, near Barcelona, firefighters reported the death of a woman who fell into a rain-swollen stream.
Security forces carried out more than 400 rescues in the Valencia region, both by air and by land, according to government representative Pilar Bernabe.
In Els Poblets, northeast of Alicante, cars and vans were piled on top of one another from the force of the water as residents tried to salvage what they could from their homes.
'The village, well, it's a disaster. Some people have lost everything all over again, just like in 2007, when exactly the same thing happened,' chef Javier Fornez, 49, said.
Cars are washed up during torrential rainstorms in eastern Spain
Streets turned into rivers in eastern Spain as it was struck by torrental downpours
Aerial footage shows a town submerged in water
The heavy downpour, which also lashed the Balearic Islands and Catalonia, prompted authorities to order around 100 municipalities to remain indoors for several hours.
Meteorologists say human-driven climate change makes such extreme weather events more frequent and destructive.
National weather agency AEMET said torrential rains linked to Storm Adam dumped exceptional amounts of rain across eastern Spain, with Pego, in Alicante province, recording 632 mm in 36 hours, while several locations in southern Valencia and northern Alicante exceeded 500 mm over the same period.
AEMET issued several red alerts, warning local people to avoid all travel and to seek higher ground.
On Monday morning, 800,000 residents were under shelter-in-place orders, but that had been reduced to 87,000 in eight municipalities by late afternoon.
More than 2,000 people were evacuated, mainly in Oliva, and authorities carried out nearly 100 rescues in Valencia and Alicante, the Civil Guard police said.
The mayor of Pego, Enrique Moll, told A Punt radio that several people were still waiting to be evacuated by helicopter from their roofs.
All access routes to the town were blocked, and even heavy-duty military vehicles were unable to move forward in some areas, he added.
Emergency workers carry out rescues as flooding left hundreds of people stranded in their homes
AEMET issued several red alerts, warning local people to avoid all travel and to seek higher ground
Two people stand on a street full of debris following floods caused by torrential downpours in Els Poblets, eastern Spain, on October 19, 2026
People try to remove mud on a street following floods caused by torrential downpours in Els Poblets, eastern Spain, on October 19, 2026
A resident looks at a flooded street after heavy rainfall that hit the area early in the morning, in the town of Algeciras
An excavator removes a flood-damaged car following torrential downpours in Els Poblets
A fire service vehicle is seen on a bridge over the swollen Girona River following torrential downpours in Els Poblets, eastern Spain, on October 19, 2026
A resident rescued by helicopter is taken to a medical facility in Oliva, eastern Spain, on October 19
People remove muddy water in the aftermath of torrential downpours in Els Poblets, eastern Spain, on October 19, 2026
At least four people have died after heavy rain triggered flooding in eastern Spain
A man looks at a pile of debris on the street in the aftermath of torrential downpours in Els Poblets
A flood-swept car in the aftermath of torrential downpours in Els Poblets, eastern Spain, on October 19, 2026
The deputy mayor of the coastal town of Oliva, Salvador Llopis, told state broadcaster TVE on Monday that emergency services were rescuing trapped residents, particularly elderly people stuck inside their homes with water up to their waists.
'They have to stay on top of tables and furniture to avoid getting wet,' he said, adding that the rains had started to ease after causing extensive damage to infrastructure.
More than 100,000 students in the Valencia region have had classes suspended due to the alerts, while the central government has deployed emergency units from the military and national police.
Members of Spain's military emergency unit were helping rescue and evacuation efforts, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on X, pledging the government's 'full support' and whatever personnel resources were needed.
The focus of the storm was expected to shift to Catalonia on Monday afternoon, especially Barcelona and Girona provinces, where more than 100 mm of rain could fall in less than 12 hours.
Authorities warned that the risk was heightened because the soil was already saturated from previous storms.
Elsewhere in southern France, seven departments remained under orange alert on Tuesday following heavy rains and flooding.
In Arles, the equivalent of nearly two and a half months' worth of rain fell, breaking the town's monthly record.
Grau-du-Roi was under an emergency plan on Tuesday morning after flooding, while roads between Nîmes and Montpellier were closed.
Meanwhile in Marseille, severe weather has led to the closing of three tram lines.