Dozens killed as Spanish region hit by year's worth of rain in eight hours
Source: BBC
At least 51 people are known to have died after torrential rain caused devastating flash floods in south-eastern Spain.
In the town of Chiva near Valencia more than a year's worth of rain fell in just eight hours and local officials say it is "impossible" to put a final figure on the number of people who have perished.
Footage uploaded to social media shows floodwaters causing chaos in the wider region, knocking down bridges and dragging cars through the streets. Other video appears to show people clinging to trees to avoid being swept away.
Much of the country has been badly hit by heavy rain and hailstorms, triggering rapid flooding across multiple areas.
Read more: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c93qlpp5gxvo
We were trapped like rats. Cars and rubbish containers were flowing down the streets. The water was rising to 3 metres, he said.
...
The intense rain has been attributed to a phenomenon known as the gota fría, or cold drop, which occurs when cold air moves over the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea. This creates atmospheric instability, causing warm, saturated air to rise rapidly, leading to the formation of towering cumulonimbus clouds in a matter of hours and dumping heavy rain across eastern parts of Spain.
Scientists say extreme weather such as heatwaves and storms is becoming more intense as a result of the climate crisis.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/30/spain-floods-torrential-rain-deaths
muriel_volestrangler
(102,337 posts)The update calls this number "provisional" and says the process of identifying victims continues.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/ckmgmdxg254t?post=asset%3A4b1b056e-b481-47b6-8327-91aa4c6d751e#post
Deep State Witch
(11,158 posts)It looks a lot like what happened in Western North Carolina.
muriel_volestrangler
(102,337 posts)WNC was a result of a hurricane they saw coming and so had a few days to get ready or evacuate. I don't know whether people had much of a warning about this - I spoke to friends who live a little further south on Saturday, and while they said they'd had heavy rain then, they didn't say anything about a deluge in the near future.
Danascot
(4,870 posts)The civil protection did not send a warning to residents of the Valencia region until over two hours later.
Many are now questioning the timing of that warning, saying that it arrived too late for people to get off the roads or seek refuge on the higher floors of their homes.
Solly Mack
(92,316 posts)Bayard
(24,028 posts)Mother Earth fights back with a vengeance.