UK tourists warned of ‘significant danger’ as Spain issues amber alerts

UK tourists have been warned of torrential rain showers posing "significant danger” in the Balearic Islands and along the east coast of mainland Spain. “Very heavy rains” are forecast across popular holiday destinations today, including Majorca, Alicante and Valencia.

It comes only two weeks after devastating flash floods swept through the Valencia region, killing more than 220 with dozens more still missing. Now a similar weather system known as a DANA - where cold and warm air collide at high altitude causing instability, which caused the heavy rains two weeks ago - has formed above Spain once more, resulting in further heavy showers.

Aemet, Spain’s weather agency, has issued amber and yellow alerts warning of heavy rain across the Balearic Islands, in Alicante, and the coastlines of Tarragona and Barcelona which come into force today. Alerts are also in place warning of storms and rough sea conditions.

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The heavy rains pose “significant danger”, Aemet has warned, and people are urged to avoid ravines and gullies in case of flash floods. In a post on X, Aemet said: “Watch out for very heavy rains in the Mediterranean area this Tuesday. Orange warnings: significant danger in areas of the Balearic Islands and the provinces of Valencia and Alicante. Do not approach ravines and gullies even if they are dry: their flow can increase rapidly.”

Further warnings come into force by Wednesday with amber warnings for heavy showers covering Malaga and Marbella in the south of Spain, Alicante, Valencia Tarragona, Ibiza and Majorca. Elsewhere yellow warnings cover Girona, Barcelona, Castellon and Menorca.

Forecasting for Wednesday, Aemet said: “A situation of instability is expected in the Peninsula and the Balearic Islands, caused by the presence of a DANA, in transition to an isolated cold storm, which will move across the Peninsula from the north and southwest. Precipitation is expected in most of the southern half of the Peninsula, the eastern coast, the Balearic Islands, the Cantabrian Sea, southern Castile and Leon and Galicia.

“This is expected to be strong and persistent, accompanied by storms, in areas of the Mediterranean coast and pre-coast as well as in the Balearic archipelago. Especially in the Mediterranean strip between the Ebro Delta and Cabo de la Nao, the coasts of Malaga and Granada and the west of the Balearic Islands, very strong and even torrential intensities could be reached, with accumulations that could locally exceed 200 litres. “

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