Sept. 3 (UPI) — Spain is currently facing a severe storm known as a “DANA.” This slow-moving storm, called a “Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos” (DANA), is bringing record-breaking torrential rains and is forecasted to continue until Monday.
Residents in western Spain are experiencing heavy rain, with rainfall amounts exceeding 2 inches per hour. The country’s civil protection service has urged the 9,600 residents of Alcanar to relocate to higher ground due to the storm’s impact.
The regions of Andalusia, Castilla y León, Catalonia, and Valencia are under an orange alert, indicating the highest level of weather warning in Spain’s alert system. This storm is the most intense weather event the country has encountered this year.
Madrid is currently under a red notice, the second-highest severity level for weather alerts, according to the city’s emergency management service.
Madrid Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida tweeted on Sunday, “Emergency and security services have been reinforced, and measures to deal with the DANA have been activated since Friday. Due to the exceptional and anomalous situation, in which the rainfall record will be broken, I ask the people of Madrid to stay at home today. Caution.”
In Toledo, located approximately 36 miles from Madrid, Mayor Carlos Velazquez echoed the warning from Martinez-Almeida, urging residents to exercise utmost caution. Velazquez shared images of the flooding on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday.
The city of Malaga, located further south, was under a yellow alert early Sunday as it prepared for heavy rain. However, chances of rain are expected to decrease later in the day, according to SUR in English.
