Spain is bracing for heavy rain as a new weather system reaches the Med coast

Two weeks after heavy floods caused devastation in eastern Spain, several areas of the country are on alert, with new weather expected to bring heavy rain and low temperatures.

Areas in the east and south of the Mediterranean are also at high risk, with the Spanish meteorological agency Aemet placing parts of the regions of Valencia, Catalonia and Andalusia, as well as the Balearic Islands, on orange alert from now until Thursday.

Aemet warns of rain and storms that could be “very strong and cause flooding”.

That orange warning is the second highest and indicates a significant weather event with “some level of risk to normal operations”.

A military vehicle has been passing through towns using a megaphone to warn of expected storms.

Precautionary measures are being taken in many areas of Valencia, with school classes and games suspended in some towns and sandbags piled up to protect the Aldaia town centre.

However, this second weather system “Dana” is not expected to be as big as the red alert on October 29, when the region of Valencia in particular suffered an unprecedented loss of life and material damage.

222 people have been confirmed dead due to floods in Spain last month, and 23 people are still missing.

Dana weather systems are formed when a low-pressure area is “cut off” from the main jet stream. This means that instead of moving through the region quickly, they are blocked in the same area leading to continuous rain for several days.

Cold air high in the atmosphere meets warm air flowing in from the Mediterranean which strengthens the storm.

Heavy rain has already hit some areas this week.

Parts of Almería province in Andalusia were hit by floods on Monday night, causing part of the A7 road to be temporarily closed.

Emergency services rescued three people after their cars were dragged by floodwaters onto a bridge in the town of Vícar.

Spain’s weather agency has advised people in orange alert areas to stay away from ravines and waterways, even though they may be dry, due to the risk of flooding.

The National Roads Office (DGT) has advised people in those areas to check the condition of the roads before using vehicles.

Dana climates are rare in Spain – they usually occur 10 to 20 times a year in the western Mediterranean.

This second Dana in a few weeks is not considered as extreme or as slow as the one that hit Valencia at the end of October.

However, the wettest areas – particularly Malaga and Granada – could see up to 180mm of rain this week – two months’ worth of rain in just a few days. Heavy hail and gusty winds will also be dangerous.

The first significant snowfall of the season is expected to affect the Cantabrian and Sierra Morena mountains and the Central and Betic ranges as cold air moves across the Peninsula.

Strong winds will be accompanied by mountain snow as well.