Spain flash floods: Spanish PM says ‘we must not let our guard down’ as at least 63 people killed – latest updates | Spain

Ajit Niranjan

Climate scientists have warned that torrential downpours will become more intense as the planet warms.

Ernesto Rodríguez Camino, senior state meteorologist and member of the Spanish Meteorological Association, said: “These types of intense and unusual, rare rainfall events will become more frequent and more intense and therefore destructive.”

He said scientists would be able to quantify the role of climate change after the event, but could not do so immediately.

María José Sanz, scientific director of the BC3 Basque Center for Climate Change, said warmer oceans meant more water in the atmosphere. Changes in the jet stream also appear to keep areas of low pressure in one place for longer periods of time.

The air can contain 7% more water for every degree Celsius the planet warms. The world has warmed about 1.3 degrees, and Europe has warmed about twice as much.

Liz Stephens, a climate risk researcher at the University of Reading, said “the tragic consequences of this event show that we have a long way to go to prepare.”

A red weather warning was issued for the region with enough time for people to move out of danger, she added, but a red warning alone does not communicate what the impact will be or what people should do.

“People shouldn’t be dying from these kinds of expected weather events in countries where they have the resources to do better.”

At least 62 people have died as a result of the floods, according to the regional authorities in Valencia.

The central government delegation in the central Castilla-La Mancha region later said an 88-year-old woman was found dead in the city of Cuenca.

Pedro Sánchez has just addressed the nation. My colleague Sam Jones has this broadcast from Madrid:

In a televised statement Wednesday morning, Sánchez called for unity, solidarity — and vigilance.

“We must not let our guard down because the weather front is still wreaking havoc and we cannot say that this devastating episode is over,” he said.

“There are still weather warnings in Andalucia, Valencia, Aragón, Castilla y León, in Cataluña, in Extremadura, in Navarra, in La Rioja and in Ceuta. That’s why I ask people in these areas to be especially careful: to keep away from the roads; to avoid going near ravines, river banks and river beds. No one should put their lives in danger.”

The prime minister said Spain had had more than its fair share of natural and health emergencies in recent years – citing the Covid pandemic, Storm Filomena in January 2021 and the volcanic eruptions in the Canary Islands in the same year – but said such adversity brought the best in the country.

“We will lend a hand and help those who cannot enter their homes or who are looking for relatives or friends or loved ones,” he added. “But most of all, right now, we want to stand with those who are suffering the loss of their loved ones.”

Valencia’s football club has expressed its “sincere condolences” to those who have died, adding in a social media post that it was ready to assist the authorities in “any way possible”.

They have also postponed their Copy Del Rey showdown with Parla Escuela, which was due to take place tonight in Madrid

• At least 52 people have died after torrential rain lashed southern and eastern Spain on Tuesday, causing flash floods that raged through towns and cut roads and rail lines.

• Emergency services in the eastern region of Valencia have confirmed the death of 51 people, although the region’s head said it was still too early to give a comprehensive death toll. The central government office for the Castilla La Mancha region said an 88-year-old woman had been found dead in the city of Cuenca.

• In some parts of the country, more than a month’s worth of rain fell in one day, leaving dozens of people stranded, with some reportedly forced to climb on top of cars or petrol stations as they waited to be rescued.

• The country’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, was expected to speak on Wednesday just before noon. Shortly afterwards, he is expected to lead a crisis meeting about the floods.

• The intense rain has been attributed get fríaor “cold drop”, which occurs when cold air moves over the warm waters of the Mediterranean. This creates atmospheric instability, causing warm, saturated air to rise rapidly, leading to the formation of towering cumulonimbus clouds in a matter of hours and dumping heavy rain over the eastern parts of Spain.

Spain’s King Felipe has said he was “devastated” by news of the floods, in a social media post offering condolences to the families of the more than 50 people killed.

“I send strength, encouragement and all necessary support to all those affected,” he said. “We recognize and appreciate all the local and regional authorities and the emergency and security services as they continue with the mammoth task they have carried out since the very first moment.”

At least 51 people are feared dead after torrential rain lashed southern and eastern Spain on Tuesday, causing flash floods that raged through towns and cut roads and rail lines.

As the search continued for the missing, people were urged to stay off the roads amid warnings that the death toll could rise.

Speaking Wednesday morning, the president of the eastern region of Valencia said it was still too early to give a comprehensive death toll.