UK tourists warned of ‘extreme’ weather in Spain as new red alert issued

Holidaymakers in Spain are warned of “extreme” weather conditions as a rare red alert is in force. The warning covers the coastal region just south of Valencia, a popular tourist destination.

Aemet, Spain’s national weather agency, issued the warning from 7am today, lasting until midday. It warns of up to 90mm of rain in one hour and potentially 180mm across 12 hours. The area is also covered by a yellow warning for hail storms.

Elsewhere amber warnings - denoting a significant risk - have been issued along the south east coast from Almeria to Murcia, for storms and rain. Large parts of central and eastern Spain are covered by yellow warnings for rain.

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Conditions are expected to be stormy along the east coast and the Balearic Islands, with waves of up to 3m and winds of up to 60km/h. A yellow warning for winds of up to 70km/h is in force for Ibiza.

The wet and windy weather is due to a DANA (isolated depression at high levels) which is slowly moving across the country - and is set to peak today. A rare special advisory notice, warning of “heavy rains” is also in force until Thursday November 1 and it was updated by Aemet on Monday.

It said: “The peak day of this episode is expected on Tuesday 29, with the highest probability of these intense precipitations and storms expected in the Strait area, Eastern Andalusia, Murcia, east of Castilla-La Mancha and the Valencian Community. Due to the intensity and persistence of rainfall, it is likely that in these areas 120-150 mm may be locally exceeded. 12-24 hours.”

Yellow warnings for rain and storms remain in place covering the north east of Spain on