The heavy rains affecting various regions of Spain over the past few hours, especially Andalucia, have caused roads to flood and have left people stranded. A number of reservoirs have also had to be emptied because they were reaching their capacity.
In Málaga towns have been cut off, leaving almost five hundred people stranded, 23 of whom had to be rescued by the emergency services and seven of them by helicopter after the River Guadalhorce burst its banks.
In the area of Las Tres Leguas de Cártama, six people were rescued by helicopter after water levels rose suddenly and in Alhaurín de la Torre another person had to be rescued by helicopter after the floodwaters had reached the second floor of his house.
The River Guadalhorce has reached a height of five metres and as well as leaving towns and villages cut off, has flooded fields and main roads as well as causing landslides.
The regional government in Andalucia has had to empty water out of six of its seven reservoirs and has closed nine schools because of the inclement weather, which has led to the issuing of an amber weather alert.
The region's fishing fleet has also been kept in port by the stormy weather for the second day in a row, as has been the case in Cadiz and Huelva too.
Families have had to be evacuated from the the Las Pachecas and La Greduela areas of Jerez de la Frontera, where over 60 litres of rain have fallen in the last 24 hours, causing the river Guadalete to burst its banks, reaching a height of over six metres.
The national weather service (AEMET) has issued warnings of intense rains, wind and snow in Madrid, Castilla y León, the Basque Country, Navarra, Aragón, Andalucía, Canarias, Extremadura, Galicia and Catalunya.
More heavy rain is expected in Andalucia, especially in the province of Málaga, where up to 30 litres per square metre could fall in the space of an hour, and in the Canary Islands, where 30-35 litres of rain per square metres are expected in an hour and up to 100 litres over the next 12 hours.
In the Canary Islands the downpours are likely to be accompanied by gusts of wind of up to 120kmph. Strong winds are also expected in the western part of Andalucía, Galicia and Catalunya.
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