Thunderstorms and flooding in Spain
26 August 2019 16:12 UTC
On 26 August 2019 widespread thunderstorms caused severe flooding in parts of Spain.
Last Updated
11, November 2020
By Jose Prieto (EUMETSAT)
On Monday 26 August severe thunderstorms swept from the south west of the Iberian peninsula and stretched to the north of Africa. In central Spain, Madrid, and some surrounding small towns, were flooded.
An area of tropospheric low pressure at high levels of the atmosphere created the conditions for strong convection, as reflected in the Meteosat-11 composite image at 16:12 UTC (Figure 1).
The convection also brought severe hailstorms and and tornados. According to AEMET, the Spanish meteorological agency, there were 9,300 bolts of lightning over Madrid.
Related content
Spain braces for more rain after hail piles up during violent storms (The Guardian)
Madrid storm leads to flash flooding and road closures (BBC News)
