Major flooding has struck eastern Spain again, less than a year after the devastating October 2024 floods that killed over 230 people. The coastal region from Alicante and Benidorm to Barcelona, along with the Balearic Islands, has seen 100-200mm of rain, with hourly rates exceeding 60mm triggering flash floods.
The extreme weather, named Storm Alice, is the first high-impact Dana (isolated depression at high levels) of the autumn season. Spain's meteorological agency Aemet declared it a named storm to improve public awareness, as only severe Danas are now assigned names from a pre-agreed list by the Southwest European Storm Naming Group.
Flash floods have caused travel chaos, including flight cancellations and stranded holidaymakers, along with property damage. Storm Alice is slowly moving eastwards and is expected to bring further heavy rain before shifting towards Sardinia and Sicily.
Meanwhile, in Mexico, Tropical Storm Raymond has caused deadly landslides and flooding in central and south-eastern regions, with about 40 deaths, many missing, and 300,000 people affected by power cuts. Raymond is now weakening as it moves towards the US border.
