Latest news New storms in Spain and Portugal
Once again, a low-pressure system with heavy rainfall is keeping large parts of Spain and neighboring Portugal in check. In Spain's capital Madrid, the Manzanares River - normally a rather dry riverbed - threatened to burst its banks, as can be seen on recordings from the state broadcaster RTVE. In the city of Ávila, around 100 kilometers northwest of Madrid, the bullring and parts of the city were under water after floodwaters from a local river created a clear path.
21.03.2025, 21:26
SDA
And the situation remains tense: The current low-pressure system "Martinho" is expected to bring rain, significantly cooler temperatures for this time of year and even snow at higher altitudes until Tuesday. "Martinho" replaced the low-pressure system "Laurence", which caused flooding at the beginning of the week, particularly in the southern Spanish regions of Andalusia and Murcia. According to the authorities, at least two people lost their lives.
Reservoirs fuller than they have been for a long time
In Toledo, south of Madrid, emergency services took the precaution of building a dyke around a hospital for paraplegics, which is located close to the River Tagus. Rivers also threatened to burst their banks in other cities. Roads were closed locally, schools and universities - including in Madrid - remained closed. There were initially no reports of major evacuations - the authorities had issued clear warnings to leave cars parked and called on people to stay at home if possible. Many reservoirs filled to unprecedented levels - Spain has been suffering from drought recently.
In Portugal, strong winds in the wake of "Martinho" caused trees to be uprooted and several people were injured, according to media reports. The National Maritime Authority (AMN) and the navy warned of a "considerable deterioration" in the weather at sea between Friday evening and Saturday. There were also rough seas off Spain's north-west coast.
Fourth low pressure area in a row
Since the beginning of the month, otherwise sunny Spain - including the vacation island of Mallorca - has been plagued by rain. RTVE quoted a meteorologist from the weather service Meteored as saying that the reason for the four low pressure systems in a row so far is a "fairly tight anticyclone blockade" in the North Atlantic between the British Isles and Scandinavia.
