The storm of rain and wind that hits Malaga, which on Saturday night put the province on red notice and has caused flooding in some municipalities in the most affected areas and large river floods, such as the Guadalhorce, which has exceeded 5.8 meters. In addition, the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) maintains several areas of the coast of the provinces of Málaga, Granada, Almería and Valencia on orange alert this Sunday due to the threat of heavy rains.
Until 3:00 p.m., the regions of Axarquía (Málaga) and the Granada coast are under an orange warning, due to heavy rains and storms. In the valley of Almanzora and Los Vélez and the east of Almeria the orange warning extends until 9:00 p.m., while the northern interior, the northern coast, the southern interior and the southern coast of the province of Valencia are under orange warning until next midnight.
During the early morning, up to 130 liters per square meter have fallen (recorded in Fahala, a river that runs between Alhaurín el Grande and Cártama, a tributary of the Guadalhorce). A little less, 100 liters, have been recorded in Cártama, so the Guadalhorce is at the orange level of danger of overflowing, with an average height of 3.84 meters, although this morning it registered a historic flood that took it to 5.77 meters and had had it at the red level since 11:00 p.m.
One of the most affected municipalities has been Cártama (Málaga), as is usual when there is torrential rain in the Guadalhorce valley, with streets flooded in the areas of Doña Ana and la Estación, neighborhoods that have even been cut off. The Guadalhorce River as it passes through this municipality has registered a significant flood in a few hours, exceeding 5.5 meters, and had even left its channel at some point around 11:00 p.m.
The mayor of the municipality, Jorge Gallardo, then ordered to notify the residents of the areas that could be affected, so that they would be alert to the flooding that was occurring. Finally, there is no news of evacuations.
In the capital of Malaga, numerous Local Police, Firefighters and Civil Protection teams have acted at night, reinforcing surveillance in the areas of Campanillas, Churriana and Carretera de Cádiz. In addition, troops were sent to the vicinity of the Guadalhorce River, due to its rapid flooding, to alert the population of the surrounding area.
Civil Protection has recommended through the public address system of its vehicles to the residents of Santa Amalia (Campanillas) that they go up to the upper floors of their homes as a precaution. Some of these neighbors have vacated their homes and moved to relatives’ homes. In addition, the City Council has enabled accommodation in the El Romeral neighborhood association, in Alhaurín de la Torre, the closest safe area.
The rains have also forced numerous flights that were scheduled to arrive at the Malaga airfield to be diverted to nearby airports.
The storm, including hail in many areas, has affected other municipalities such as Monda, Coín, Alhaurín el Grande or the coast of the Western Costa del Sol, mainly Marbella.
Please, don’t let anyone let their guard down tonight in Malaga. A lot of water is falling in municipalities on the Costa del Sol and the Guadalhorce Valley, such as Cártama, Alhaurín el Grande, Coín…
A lot of care, common sense, responsibility and head.
Let’s avoid unnecessary risks.
— Juanma Moreno (@JuanMa_Moreno)
The storm continues to keep the province of Málaga under an orange warning and is noticeable at this time in the Axarquía region, with intense rains in municipalities such as Rincón de la Victoria or Vélez-Málaga.
