Europe recently experienced scorching heat reaching 40°C and devastating wildfires. Now, heavy rain has caused sudden flooding in Italy and Spain, prompting both countries to issue emergency weather alerts.
A low-pressure system from the Atlantic Ocean has led to a decrease in temperatures by more than 10 degrees Celsius in certain regions of northern and central Spain. The clash of cold and hot air masses has created unstable and extreme weather conditions, bringing thunderstorms, heavy rain, and strong winds.
Spain’s national meteorological agency, Aemet, issued yellow and orange storm alerts for 11 communities, including most of the eastern Iberian Peninsula. Just a day earlier, Valencia and Alicante had rare red alerts due to temperatures soaring to 44°C.
The Valencia Meteorological Association described the heatwave as “hell under Dante’s pen.” On Thursday, a thunderstorm hit the province, causing trees to fall, buildings to be damaged, and lightning-induced fires.
Local media reported over 50 emergency rescue incidents, with recorded wind speeds exceeding 62 miles per hour (approximately 100 kilometers per hour).
Earlier last weekend, flash floods and landslides struck Manzanedo de Valdueza village in the Spanish Pyrenees, resulting in three deaths and two children injured.
On Thursday, a severe storm hit the Balearic Islands, with residents of Majorca on high alert.
According to reports from the Majorca Daily Bulletin, the storm caused 75 accidents from Thursday early morning to Friday, with 31 occurring in Majorca, which remains under a yellow rain alert. Most incidents were related to fallen trees.
Stormy weather is expected to persist on Saturday.
In northern Italy, roads turned into rivers as water levels surged. Meteorologists reported that in Chiavari, a town about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Genoa in Liguria, rainfall reached 126 millimeters.
On Thursday, Liguria issued a yellow flood alert, followed by an orange upgrade for the northeastern region and the eastern slopes of the Po Valley.
Europe is bracing for more severe storms arriving.
In southern France, as a safety precaution, about 200 holidaymakers at a campsite in Pégomas were evacuated and relocated to local communities. Reports also mentioned a small landslide near Castillon.
Just a week ago, wildfires ravaged the entire European continent, with France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Belgium, Croatia, and Germany engulfed in fierce flames. The wildfires forced 330,000 Europeans to evacuate their homes, causing extensive damage and generating toxic smoke.
According to the European Forest Fire Information Service, the 2026 fire season will go down as the third most severe wildfire season in history. Over 600,000 hectares of land have already been consumed by fires, with the areas affected in Belgium, France, and Slovakia surpassing previous records for the same period.