Weather warning Spain: Holidaymakers told to brace for 'extraordinary danger' as red rain alert issued - affecting Tarragona, Barcelona, Valencia, Ibiza, Formentera
Thousands of Britons have been told to brace for "extraordinary danger" across the Costa Blanca on Friday.
The warning has been issued ahead of the arrival of a deluge of torrential rain. As Storm Alice hits, the country’s meteorological service Aemet has activated its most severe weather alert.
The Spanish weather agency will implement a red warning for the Alicante region from 10am local time on Friday, cautioning residents and visitors about potentially catastrophic rainfall. Emergency services in Ibiza and Formentera have also bolstered their response capabilities after the islands were placed under orange weather warnings for storms and heavy rain.
Authorities have advised holidaymakers visiting Spain's Mediterranean coastal regions to stay informed about weather developments and adhere to official instructions. In a statement, Aemet said: "There is a high uncertainty in the position of Alice and its interaction with surface flows, which will determine the areas of greatest adversity each day, so detailed monitoring of forecast updates and warnings is recommended over the next few days."
From the early hours of Friday, heavy downpours are expected on the coast of Tarragona, Barcelona and Valencia - home to tourist hotspots like Benidorm. Throughout the day, these will spread across to Ibiza and Formentera, the rest of Murcia, the eastern half of Andalucía and southern Castilla La Mancha.
The warning does not rule out that they may also occur in other areas of Castilla-La Mancha, Catalonia - all of which combined welcome millions of Britons every year. The approaching storm system could even bring devastating floods to the Mediterranean coastline - barely a year after Valencia experienced its deadliest natural catastrophe in recent memory, when 220 people perished in flash flooding.
Meteorologists predict rainfall could cross the 140-millimetre mark within 12 hours, with Valencia expected to bear the brunt of the deluge. The weather service has extended warnings to multiple areas of the Spanish coast, including Murcia and the Balearics, where "very heavy and persistent rainfall" is forecast to continue through Monday.
Aemet cautioned on social media that residents should "follow the advice of civil protection", highlighting the risk of flash flooding in low-lying regions, waterways and ravines. The agency also warned of the "high" danger level posed by the weather system, adding that sudden torrential downpours could trigger localised flooding across the affected zones.