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IN PICS: Flooding causes chaos in Madrid and 13 other regions on alert

The Local Spain
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IN PICS: Flooding causes chaos in Madrid and 13 other regions on alert
13 Spanish regions on alert for heavy rains. Photo: CURTO DE LA TORRE / AFP

The region of Madrid experienced intense rain storms and widespread flooding on Friday, while much of the rest of Spain was on alert for extreme weather.

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State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) warning that some regions will experience up to 40 litres of rain per square metre in one hour.

The regions that are particularly at risk and have been put on orange alert level are Catalonia, Valencia and Madrid. 

As well as the storms and heavy rain, AEMET said there would be a significant risk where strong gusts of wind and the possibility of hail.  

Madrid already experienced an intense rainstorm on Friday morning, causing widespread chaos and flooding.

READ ALSO: Seven Spanish expressions to refer to the rain in Spain 

The M-40 highway from Carabanchel Alto to Coslada was cut off in both directions due to flooding and there have been disruptions on Madrid Metro lines 7 and 9.

Around 30 litres of rain per square metre was expected to fall in one hour in the of mountains Madrid and up to 20 litres in the rest of the region.

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Emergency services in Madrid said that they had attended 343 incidents in the municipalities of Soto del Real, Manzanares, Colmenar Viejo, Madrid and Henares.  

In the capital alone, the rain that fell this morning has caused around 50 incidents, most of them using water rafts. 

AEMET spokesperson Rubén del Campo, explained that "almost 8,000 lightning bolts have struck this morning in the central and southern part of the country" due to the storm that has formed in the Atlantic, which has generated conditions of atmospheric instability.

The other regions that are on yellow alert, with a slightly lower risk due to storms, and rain of at least 15 litres per square metre in one hour are Andalusia, Aragón, the Balearic Islands, Cantabria, Castilla La-Mancha, Castilla y León, Extremadura, Galicia, Murcia and Navarra.

According to AEMET, the summer of 2023 has been the third warmest in history only behind those of 2022 and 2003.  

Autumn, which is to begin in the next couple of weeks is also forecast to be much warmer, but also rainier than usual. Experts hope this will help to mitigate the effects of drought that much of Spain is experiencing.

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