In photos: Devastating floods in Spain kill dozens
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People watch the damaged area near the port of Porto Cristo, Majorca after heavy rainfall hit the area. Photo: Clara Margais/picture alliance via Getty Images
Flash floods in southeastern Span have killed at least 95 people and many others remain missing, Spanish authorities said Wednesday.
Why it matters: The devastation has made the floods the worst natural disaster to hit Spain in recent memory, AP reported.
The big picture: The heavy rains, which began Monday, have disrupted rail lines, destroyed a bridge, and swept through homes. More than 1,000 members of Spain's emergency military unit have been mobilized, per AP.
- The majority of the deaths have occurred in the region of Valencia, the New York Times reported. The cities of Málaga and Valencia were severely affected.
- Parts of Valencia received 13.5 inches of rain in a matter of only four hours on Tuesday, meteorologist Bob Henson wrote on X.
Our thought bubble, via Axios' Andrew Freedman: The deluge erupted when a stalled low pressure area off the west coast of Iberia helped draw moisture into Spain, concentrating it along a slow-moving cold front.
- Climate change also very likely played a role, because it is raising the likelihood and severity of heavy precipitation events around the world.
- Increasing air and ocean temperatures boost the available water vapor available to such storms, resulting in heavier downpours.
In Photos:
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Editor's note: This story has been updated with the death toll from the floods.
