Storm Leonardo unleashed what forecasters called “extraordinary” rain across the Iberian peninsula on Wednesday, forcing thousands from their homes in southern Spain, shutting schools and crippling rail service as authorities warned of life-threatening floods and landslides.
Spain’s national weather agency, AEMET, placed parts of Andalusia under its highest red alert for torrential rain, saying the storm risked triggering flash floods and landslides in already saturated terrain. The agency said some locations in the southern Sierra Grazalema could receive rainfall equivalent to a full year of precipitation from this single event.
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Authorities said the danger is amplified by weeks of downpours. An “extraordinary amount of rain” is falling in a region where “the ground is very saturated and riverbeds are already carrying a lot of water” from recent rainfall, AEMET spokesman Ruben del Campo said.
Hundreds of soldiers were mobilized to reinforce emergency crews as rivers rose and roads flooded. All schools across Andalusia were closed except in the eastern province of Almeria. State rail operator Renfe canceled almost all suburban, regional and long-distance trains in the region, warning no replacement buses could run given road closures and hazardous conditions.
Authorities flagged Grazalema, Campo de Gibraltar, Ronda and parts of Jaen among the highest-risk areas. Residents there received mobile alerts about the potential for extreme rainfall, urging them to stay off the roads and away from riverbeds. Emergency teams deployed two aircraft and two helicopters to monitor flood-prone zones and provide real-time updates as conditions evolved.
The storm’s arrival follows a deadly stretch of weather for Spain. In October 2024, more than 230 people died in the country’s worst floods in decades, most of them in the eastern region of Valencia. Officials said the ground remains so waterlogged from that period and subsequent storms that even moderate bursts of rain now carry greater risk.
Leonardo also churned into neighboring Portugal from the Atlantic, where part of the coast was placed under an orange alert for severe weather. Northern and central regions braced for heavy snowfall, with forecasters expecting strong winds and persistent precipitation to continue until Saturday.
Portugal’s armed forces deployed up to 3,000 personnel and 42 inflatable boats with marine teams along flood-prone stretches of the country’s major rivers, as authorities warned conditions would likely deteriorate through the week. The preparations came after severe weather killed five people in the country last week.
Officials in both countries urged residents to follow evacuation orders, heed local advisories and avoid driving through flooded streets. Flash floods can develop quickly in mountainous zones and urban basins, and landslides may occur where slopes have been destabilized by sustained rainfall.
Scientists say human-driven climate change is making extreme weather events longer, more frequent and more intense. Warmer air holds more moisture, which can fuel deluges like those hammering Spain and Portugal, particularly when storms stall over saturated watersheds.
By midweek, emergency services said their focus remained on life safety—rescuing those trapped by rising water, keeping transport corridors clear for ambulances and fire crews, and monitoring river levels as Leonardo continued to track east. With soils soaked and forecasts pointing to more rain and snow, officials cautioned that the most dangerous phase may come as waterways swell and runoff peaks.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
