Evacuaties en veel overlast in Cadiz en Malaga door storm Francis

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Storm Francis zorgt voor evacuaties en veel overlast in Cádiz en Málaga

De zware storm Francis heeft in het zuiden van Spanje voor flinke problemen gezorgd. Vooral in de provincies Cádiz en Málaga moesten hulpdiensten ingrijpen door wateroverlast, harde wind en gevaarlijke situaties rond woningen. In meerdere plaatsen zijn bewoners tijdelijk hun huis uitgezet, omdat het niet langer veilig was.

Om inwoners en bezoekers te waarschuwen, stuurde de regionale overheid zondagmiddag een noodbericht naar mobiele telefoons in 27 gemeenten via het ES-Alert-systeem. In het bericht werd dringend opgeroepen om niet onnodig de weg op te gaan en om weg te blijven bij rivieren, beekjes en andere waterlopen. De voorspelling van zware regenval, met lokaal tot 120 liter per vierkante meter, kwam uiteindelijk ook daadwerkelijk uit.

Volgens de regionale nooddiensten werden meer dan 260 incidenten gemeld. Het ging vooral om ondergelopen straten, kelders vol water, omgevallen bomen en schade aan wegen. De aanhoudende regen en stevige wind maakten de situatie op sommige plekken extra gevaarlijk.

In de provincies Cádiz en Málaga moesten ongeveer 50 mensen hun woning verlaten. Zij zijn tijdelijk ondergebracht bij familie, vrienden of in gemeentelijke opvang. In sommige gevallen dreigde water woningen binnen te stromen of was er risico op instorting door verzakte grond.

Langs de kust van Cádiz werden ook preventieve maatregelen genomen. Promenades en bepaalde gebieden werden afgesloten vanwege hoge golven en het risico dat mensen door het slechte weer in gevaar zouden komen. De politie vroeg inwoners en toeristen om weg te blijven uit deze zones.

De regionale regering van Andalusië riep iedereen op om extra voorzichtig te zijn. Verplaatsingen moesten zoveel mogelijk worden beperkt en mensen werd gevraagd de adviezen van de hulpdiensten op te volgen. Het slechte weer zorgde ook voor vertragingen in het verkeer en tijdelijke afsluitingen van wegen.

De Spaanse weerdienst waarschuwde dat de regen en wind nog enige tijd kunnen aanhouden. Daardoor blijft het risico op nieuwe overstromingen bestaan, vooral in lager gelegen gebieden en langs rivieren. Hulpdiensten blijven stand-by om snel te kunnen ingrijpen als de situatie verder verslechtert.

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Storm Francis disrupts flights across the Canary Islands

Spain’s air navigation authority, Enaire, has advised passengers flying to or from the Canary Islands to check the status of their flight with their airline as Storm Francis is bringing severe weather across the archipelago.

According to Enaire, the adverse conditions caused by the passage of the storm today, Thursday, 1st January 2026, are leading to safety-related air traffic restrictions at Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Tenerife South airports.

Travellers are urged to stay updated through their airline, although real-time information is also available via Aena’s official website.

Storm Francis has already prompted updated weather alerts from Aemet for each island, while Tenerife’s Cabildo has temporarily closed hiking trails and suspended outdoor activities as a precaution.

On La Palma, heavy rainfall since the early hours has caused disruptions at the island’s airport. One flight from Tenerife North was cancelled and another, arriving from Tenerife South, was diverted, according to local broadcaster TVC.

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Storm Francis triggers severe floods across Málaga Province, Spain

Severe flooding struck Málaga Province, southern Spain, through Sunday and Monday, January 4 and 5, 2026, as Storm Francis brought torrential rainfall, dropping totals of up to 200 mm (8 inches) in parts of the Guadalhorce Valley and Costa del Sol. A Red Alert was issued for parts of the region as rivers overflowed, prompting evacuations and emergency rescues across Cártama, Alhaurín de la Torre, and Málaga city.

Storm Francis brought heavy rainfall across southern Spain through January 4–5, triggering severe floods in Málaga Province. The Spanish Meteorological Agency (AEMET) put the Guadalhorce Valley and Costa del Sol Occidental under a Red Alert due to extreme rainfall and flood risk.

Rainfall totals reached about 120 mm (4.7 inches) in 12 hours in parts of the Guadalhorce Valley. Meanwhile, cumulative totals of around 200 mm (7.9 inches) were reported in the Cártama–Alhaurín corridor.

Three rivers, the Guadalhorce, Fahala, and Campanillas, overflowed their banks, flooding nearby homes and roads. Emergency services in Málaga Province responded to over 120 flood related incidents in 24 hours between January 4 and 5.

Three families were evacuated in the area of La Dehesa late in the afternoon on January 4. A woman was rescued from her car after it became trapped in waist-deep water in a tunnel near Málaga Airport. At least 30 residents were evacuated from flooded homes in Cártama as water levels rose rapidly along the Guadalhorce River.

Road closures were reported along the MA-5401, which connects El Burgo with Casarabonela, and the MA-8302, in Genalguacil.

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Storm Francis causes over a hundred incidents in Madeira

The municipality of Funchal was the most affected.

The Regional Civil Protection Service recorded a total of 112 incidents related to the adverse weather conditions caused by Depression Francis, between 00:00 on January 1st and 20:00 on January 3rd, 2026, according to the final report released by the Regional Command of Relief Operations (CROS).

The incidents, spread across several municipalities in the Region, required the mobilization of 263 personnel and 121 land vehicles, and involved different forces and services integrated into the Integrated System of Protection and Relief Operations (SIOPS).

The municipality of Funchal was the most affected, accounting for 28 incidents, with the involvement of 64 personnel and 30 technical resources.

The municipalities of Machico and Santa Cruz followed, both with 19 incidents, mobilizing 38 and 42 personnel respectively, and 19 technical resources in each municipality.

In Santana, 10 incidents were recorded, while Câmara de Lobos and Calheta registered nine incidents each, with a significant number of operational resources involved. Ribeira Brava and Ponta do Sol recorded seven incidents each, while Porto Moniz and São Vicente registered two incidents per municipality.

In Porto Santo, no incidents associated with this weather event were recorded.

The depression was marked by strong winds and intense rainfall, with significant gusts recorded throughout the three days. In the early morning of January 1st, gusts of 114 km/h were recorded in Caniçal and 103 km/h in Santa Catarina/Airport. In Funchal, the maximum gust reached 70 km/h, while 88 km/h were recorded in Pico Alto and 72 km/h in Porto Santo.

On January 2nd, the maximum gust was 101 km/h at Ponta de São Jorge, followed by 90 km/h at Lugar de Baixo, 85 km/h at Pico Alto, 84 km/h at Caniçal, 78 km/h at Santa Catarina/Aeroporto and 76 km/h at Prazeres.

Today, the highest speeds were once again recorded at Ponta de São Jorge, with 117 km/h, followed by Caniçal with 109 km/h. Prazeres and Pico Alto recorded 94 km/h, Santa Catarina/Airport 86 km/h, while Funchal again recorded 71 km/h and Porto Santo 84 km/h.

Regarding accumulated rainfall, the values ​​were particularly high in mountainous areas. Pico do Areeiro recorded a total of 330.8 mm, of which 229.3 mm accumulated in just 24 hours on the first day of the year. At Chão do Areeiro, the accumulated rainfall was 290.6 mm, with 192.3 mm also concentrated in the first 24 hours.

In São Vicente, 158 mm of rain were recorded, of which 104.9 mm fell on January 1st, while Prazeres recorded 113.1 mm and Porto Moniz 97.4 mm.