Spanish and Portuguese authorities have been put on alert after the threat of Storm Leo, suspending classes in some areas and warning citizens about dangerous travel, just a week after Storm Kristin caused devastation in the Iberian Peninsula.
Spain’s state meteorological agency, AEMET, predicts that some areas in the Sierra Grazalema in the south could experience rainfall equivalent to an entire year’s worth of rainfall from this storm.
Portugal has raised its alert level and sent the armed forces to areas where flooding is expected. Images show flooded fields in Jerez and Cortes de la Frontera in Spain, with roads and cars covered in water, as authorities evacuate residents.
Spain recorded 119.3 mm of rainfall in January, making it the second wettest January of the 21st century, according to the Environment Ministry. High-risk areas include Grazalema, Campo de Gibraltar, Ronda and parts of Jaen, where residents received warnings of possible heavy rainfall.
