TORRENTIAL rain ‘not seen since ’89’ caused widespread flooding in eastern Malaga last night, submerging roads and damaging homes as Storm Adam swept across the city.
Video circulating online shows torrents of floodwater rushing through streets and submerging cars in the neighbourhood of El Palo in the early hours of Monday.
Rain began falling at around 11.45pm on Sunday, dumping a staggering 120mm on the city before easing an hour later.
Locals described moments of terror as floodwater seeped into homes and rain lashed furiously against windows.
One driver reportedly sought shelter at a petrol station as a torrent of water surged down one of the neighbourhood’s main roads, leaving him trapped in his car until the storm passed.
“It reminded me of the floods in ’89,” one resident told Malaga Hoy.
They were referring to one of the worst natural disasters in Malaga’s modern history, when prolonged rainfall throughout November 1989 caused rivers and streams to burst their banks, killing eight people and leaving more than 550 families homeless.
Unlike that catastrophic event, no injuries have been reported following Storm Adam’s overnight onslaught.
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However, homes in low-lying areas were badly affected, with floodwater reaching doorsteps in Playa Virginia and pouring into properties further downhill.
By Monday morning, much of the water had drained away, leaving residents facing a clean-up as mud and debris littered streets and entrances.
Storm Adam is the first major DANA of the season, bringing torrential rain and flash flooding to large parts of southern and eastern Spain.
A DANA occurs when a pocket of cold air becomes isolated high in the atmosphere, triggering intense rainfall and thunderstorms when it meets warmer, moisture-laden air below.
The weather system has also battered the Mediterranean coast, with red weather alerts issued in parts of Valencia and Alicante over the weekend.
Across Andalucia, emergency services have dealt with 579 incidents since the storm began, including 135 in Malaga province.
As the downpour intensified, Spain’s weather agency AEMET upgraded its warning for the Axarquia region to red – the highest alert level – until 3am.
AEMET also issued fresh yellow warnings across Malaga province for Monday, with further downpours and possible hail forecast.
Up to 20mm of rain could fall within an hour in Antequera, while other parts of the province face hourly rainfall of up to 15mm.
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