Storm Leonardo continues to batter parts of Spain and Portugal with torrential rain and strong winds, placing the Iberian peninsula under severe weather alerts. Since Tuesday, the slow-moving system has caused widespread disruption, flooding and evacuations. In Grazalema, southern Spain, more than 700mm of rain has fallen since Wednesday, roughly equivalent to the country's average annual rainfall.
Across Andalucía, about 3,500 people have been evacuated, with roads and schools closed and transport networks disrupted. Spain's state meteorological agency, Aemet, issued its highest red alert for heavy rainfall in Cádiz and parts of Málaga, where around 150mm was recorded in only 12 hours on Thursday. In Málaga province, a girl has been reported missing after being swept away by the Turvilla river, with emergency services continuing search efforts.
Portugal, still recovering from Storm Kristin which killed at least five people last week, has also been badly affected. Fresh downpours have triggered flooding, landslides and falling trees, forcing more than 200 people to evacuate. On Wednesday, another death was reported in the southern Alentejo region after a man's car was washed away by flood waters.
The storm's effects extend beyond Europe. In northern Morocco, flash floods caused by overflowing rivers and reservoirs have forced more than 100,000 people to evacuate, with the city of Ksar El-Kebir in the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region among the worst-affected.
The extreme rainfall is being driven by an unusually southward-shifted jet stream, allowing Leonardo to intensify and stall over the region. The storm has also merged with an 'atmospheric river' carrying tropical moisture from the Caribbean, continually replenishing the rainfall. With soils already saturated and rivers swollen after weeks of wet weather, the risk of further flooding and landslides remains high, particularly in southern Spain. Leonardo is expected to linger near the north-west of the Iberian peninsula into early next week, bringing continued unsettled conditions.
