Spain will be the rainiest region in Europe this week

In Spain will be another week of intense and prolonged rainfall. The rains will affect regions where water has already accumulated from the previous rains, resulting in a risk of flooding. According to Aemet, in early February, Spain will become the region with the highest rainfall in all of Europe. In some areas, rainfall could reach 400 liters per square meter.

Experts warn of a high risk of flooding, river overflows, and major landslides.

“The reason for this number of rains is that we are seeing an anticyclonic blocking pattern at very high latitudes in Greenland and Scandinavia, so the storms that usually occur there are now further south, and Spain is constantly receiving one front after another,” Samuel Biner, an expert from Meteored, explained to the publication 20minutos.

Triple Percepiration 

According to Aemet representative Rubén del Campo, January 2026 was one of the rainiest in recent decades. In some regions, precipitation was two to three times higher than the climatic norm. This was observed, for example, in Catalonia, the southern part of the Madrid region, the province of Cadiz, and in the areas of Granada and Jaen.

In Galicia and Cadiz, more than 400 liters per square meter have already fallen, which is comparable to the amount that falls in Madrid in a whole year.

According to Aemet, 119.3 liters per square meter were recorded in Spain in January. This is the second most moist January of this century and the seventh since historical records began in 1961.

Forecasters fear that some areas may face flooding due to a combination of several factors: rain continues to fall in areas that have already been affected by precipitation, the soil is saturated with water, and its pores can no longer absorb water, and also snow is beginning to melt in mountainous areas.

“Because the soil is full of moisture, this water does not penetrate the ground as it would under normal conditionsю. That increases erosion and causes rivers to flood even more than before,” explains Samuel Biner.

Record water level in the Guadalquivir River

The situation on the Guadalquivir River is particularly worrying. According to Google Flood Hub, which tracks water levels in reservoirs and flood risk, the river could suffer one of the worst floods in 50 years in the coming days. In Cantillana (Seville), water flow is expected to reach 3,500 cubic meters per second, which is 1,000 cubic meters per second above the extreme danger threshold. A similar situation is forecast in Lora del Río.

The rivers Júcar, Segura, Mundo, and the tributaries of the Tagus are also under special observation.

Experts emphasize that the situation in cities may be even more dangerous than in rural areas. Asphalt and concrete absorb virtually no water, and worn or poorly maintained sewer systems cannot cope with the overload of water.

In Galicia and Andalusia, rainfall may exceed 400 liters per square meter between February 4 and February 5. In mountainous areas such as the Central System and the Cordillera Betica, rainfall will exceed 200 liters per square meter.

In addition to rain, snow is also expected, with accumulations of more than 30-50 centimeters in high mountain areas.

Also, strong winds are in the forecast.

Hundreds of incidents and warnings from the authorities

In Andalusia, the emergency services recorded 758 incidents over the past 24 hours due to the weather, mainly involving fallen trees, branches, street furniture, and billboards. In Seville, on February 2, about 2,000 people were left without power, and five people were injured as a result of landslides, falling trees, and fences.

In Seville, authorities decided to close parks, sports facilities, and a cemetery as a precautionary measure. Sea transport between Algeciras (Cadiz province) and Tangier also had to be canceled due to storm.

Authorities are calling for “extreme caution” in Andalusia due to the “difficult situation” caused by rain and wind, as warned by emergency services, especially in the provinces of Cadiz, Almeria, and Huelva. The military emergency unit and Civil Protection are “ready to act” if an emergency arises.

At the moment, 17 roads are closed across the country due to rain, and snowfall has affected 42, 11 of which are completely blocked.

Unstable weather will continue at least until the end of the week, and the risk of new incidents remains high across most of the country.