Madrid, Spain — Storm Joseph has claimed at least one life and caused widespread disruption across Spain, triggering flooding, landslides, evacuations and major transport disruptions in several regions, according to Spanish media reports.
A woman was killed in Malaga after a palm tree collapsed during strong winds. The severe weather system has affected Galicia, Andalusia and Castile and Leon, with authorities warning that the storm is expected to intensify.
Spain’s State Meteorological Agency, AEMET, warned of a high-impact weather phenomenon, including a powerful maritime storm in Galicia and the Cantabrian Sea, where waves of up to six metres and strong winds have been recorded. Heavy rain and snowfall have also hit other parts of the country.
In Galicia alone, emergency services responded to more than 800 incidents linked to rain and wind, including floods, landslides and fallen trees and rocks on roads, which caused multiple traffic accidents. One of the most serious incidents was a multi-vehicle collision involving between 12 and 14 vehicles on the AP-9 toll motorway, leaving several people injured and cutting off the main land route to Santiago de Compostela.
Heavy rainfall affected the interior of Pontevedra province, where some municipalities recorded more than 150 litres of rain per square metre. In Forcarei, a red alert was activated due to extreme rainfall. The Civil Guard also rescued a driver trapped in a partially submerged vehicle near the Chaín River in Portas.
The situation remains serious in Andalusia, where 366 storm-related incidents have been registered, mainly in Cadiz, Seville and Malaga. In Jimena de la Frontera, 11 people were evacuated as a precaution after a river overflowed, while all sea routes across the Strait of Gibraltar were temporarily closed.
Storm damage was also reported in Castile and Leon, where two buildings collapsed, one semi-abandoned and the other uninhabited, with no injuries reported.
Weather warnings remain in place across Spain. Most areas are under yellow alerts, while the southern part of Avila province has been placed under an orange alert, with up to 80 litres of rainfall per square metre expected within 12 hours. Heavy snowfall is forecast for the Cantabrian Mountains and the Sanabria region of Zamora, along with warnings of snowmelt and intense rainfall in parts of Ávila, Segovia and Salamanca.
Authorities have urged residents to remain cautious, limit travel and closely follow official weather updates as Storm Joseph continues to impact large areas of the country.
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