Record rainfall flooded the Madrid region of Spain over the weekend, creating flooding, postponing a Spanish league soccer game, and causing at least two deaths, according to authorities.
A vehicle passes through a large puddle of water caused by heavy rain following a Spain’s State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) red alert for severe storms, Madrid, Spain, September 3, 2023. (Source: Reuters)
Maximum Red Alert Level Declared in Madrid
Last Sunday, Madrid Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida urged residents to stay home as the country’s capital braced for severe rain and storms. Following months of unprecedented drought, flash floods delayed motorists and swept away cars, while some train services were interrupted. Spain’s national weather agency AEMET issued a maximum red alert, warning of the possibility of serious risk in the Madrid region, Toledo province, and the city of Cadiz. The alert level was reduced to yellow on Monday, despite the possibility of diminishing rainfall.
According to The Associated Press, Almeida predicted that Madrid’s 1972 rainfall record of 87 liters per square meter would be broken, with predictions projecting up to 120 liters per square meter. “Due to the exceptional and abnormal situation, in which rainfall records will be broken,” Almeida said on X, formerly Twitter, “I ask the people of Madrid to stay at home today.” The “DANA” (Spanish for “isolated high-level depression”) climate phenomenon happened Sunday afternoon and lasted into the night.
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Intense Rainfall and Flashfloods in Madrid Causes the Death of Two
Residents in Madrid were advised to stay at home and avoid driving through text messages from Madrid’s emergency services. Spain’s state train agency announced that rail service between Madrid and Valencia’s eastern coast, as well as other lines, had been interrupted. Rainfall was most intense in Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha, following months of heat and drought in Spain.
According to local media, at least two individuals have died and one person is missing. The weather also forced La Liga to postpone Atletico Madrid’s home game against Sevilla on Sunday evening at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid.
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