Southern Spain was battered by flash floods and freak storms on Thursday as severe weather swept across popular holiday hotspots. Footage shared online showed massive waterspouts spiralling into the sky while roads turned into rivers due to torrential rain in parts of Murcia.
Waterspouts and Flooding
Cars struggled through floodwater as heavy downpours hit the region. Residents in La Manga were stunned after several marine tornadoes appeared offshore during the violent storms. Witnesses reported at least three waterspouts forming over the sea as unstable conditions moved through the area. The towering vortexes stretched from dark storm clouds toward the Mediterranean while heavy rain lashed nearby towns.
The phenomenon, known in Spanish as a 'manga manga', is a rotating column of air that forms over water beneath storm clouds and can generate extremely powerful wind gusts, sometimes up to 250 km/h.
Weather Warnings
Spain's state weather agency Aemet maintained weather warnings across the Campo de Cartagena area until 9 pm. Authorities issued a yellow alert for thunderstorms, warning of possible hail and strong winds. An orange warning remained for torrential rain, with up to 40 mm of rainfall expected within an hour.
The severe weather is part of a wider storm system affecting eastern and southern Spain, bringing heavy downpours and electrical storms after weeks of unusually warm weather.
Previous Storms
This comes after Spain issued a rare red weather alert in December when a violent storm hit the Costa del Sol. Torrential rain flooded roads, felled trees, and destroyed vehicles. The national weather bureau issued an unprecedented emergency response as floodwaters reached worrying levels. Red alerts for extreme danger were issued across 27 municipalities in the Malaga region. Emergency services received hundreds of reports.
The Sol and Guadalhorce areas were hardest hit, with authorities urging locals and tourists to stay indoors. Images showed roads turned into rivers, with debris-filled mud sweeping away cars and trees. Vehicles bobbed through murky waters as strong currents swirled, trapping residents and tourists. Floodwaters reached several meters in height in some places.
