Sign in Subscribe
Weather

Spain and Mexico Hit by Devastating Floods as Weather Patterns Intensify

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Just over a year since one of the worst natural disasters in Spain's history, devastating floods have again struck the country, affecting major cities and tourist hotspots. The coastal area stretching from Alicante to Barcelona, as well as the Balearic islands, has seen extreme rainfall totals of 100-200mm, with thunderstorms bringing hourly rates of over 60mm. In Mexico, approximately 40 people have been killed and many more are missing due to flooding, landslides, and power cuts affecting 300,000 people.

Key Takeaways:

  • The recent floods in Spain are the first high-impact Dana of the autumn season, declared by the state meteorological agency, Aemet.
  • Storm Alice, the first Dana to be given an official name, is slowly moving across the area and is expected to bring heavy rainfall for a few more days.
  • Spain's naming of storms aims to make communication clearer when severe weather events are anticipated and to reduce confusion among the public.
  • The coastal area of Spain, including Alicante, Benidorm, and Barcelona, has been severely affected by the flooding, with heavy rainfall totals and flash flooding.
  • Mexico is also experiencing significant flooding, with landslides, damaged roads, and power cuts affecting over 300,000 people.
  • Tropical Storm Raymond has triggered landslides and flooding in Mexico, following previous storms, Octave and Priscilla.
  • The Southwest European Storm Naming Group, comprising Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, Andorra, and Luxembourg, is responsible for assigning names to storms with a high impact potential.

Statistics:

  • 100-200mm rainfall totals in Spain's coastal area.
  • Hourly rainfall rates of over 60mm in Spain.
  • 40 people killed and many more missing in Mexico due to flooding.
  • 1,000km of damaged roads in Mexico.
  • Power cuts affecting 300,000 people in Mexico.
  • 3 named storms (Raymond, Octave, and Priscilla) affecting Mexico recently.

Sources:

  • Aemet, Spain's state meteorological agency
  • Reuters, Christian Ruano/photographer
  • Southwest European Storm Naming Group
  • MetDesk, Daniel Adamson (the provided text)

Read more