Severe flooding in eastern Spain, while UK hit by first named storm of winter

Storm Adam brought torrential rain to eastern Spain earlier this week. In Pego, Alicante, 632mm fell in 36 hours with 430mm of this falling in just six hours, while the Valencian town of Olivia received 600mm in 24 hours. As a result, 145 municipalities, approximately 850,000 people, across Valencia and Alicante were placed in a temporary lockdown on Monday due to the severe flooding.

At least five people have died and 500 have been rescued and 2,100 evacuated. The storm also affected the Balearic Islands, with more than 130 incidents recorded in Ibiza including standing water at the airport, which caused some flights to be diverted or suspended. Although the worst of the storm has passed and conditions improving across Valencia and Alicante, local disruption is expected to continue.

The first named storm of the winter for the UK is currently tracking through the Channel. Storm Austen is bringing damaging winds not only to south-west England and Wales, but also south-west Ireland and northern France. Gusts are expected to be around 50-60mph, but some exposed north-western coasts of France could experience winds of up to 80-90mph.

Following quickly on from Storm Austen is another deep low pressure system, Storm Boelo, which is expected to track across northern Scotland on Saturday into Sunday. Much of the UK and Ireland will see very unsettled conditions with further damaging winds and heavy and prolonged rain. Western Scotland will face the strongest gusts, but the rest of the UK and Ireland will see 40-55mph winds. Western parts of Ireland will experience 50-60mph winds with up to 70-80mph in exposed parts of north-west Ireland, similar to western Scotland. Again, heavy rain associated with Storm Boelo will reach 10-20mm with as much as 30-60mm in western parts of Ireland, Wales and south-west England. This, on top of the rainfall from Storm Austen, will increase the risk of flooding.