Torrential rainfall from the Adam storm system has left one person dead after being swept away in a swollen stream in Cabrera de Mar, Barcelona, prompting red alerts across Spain’s Mediterranean coastline. Emergency services across Valencia, Alicante, Ibiza, and Formentera continue to battle severe flooding as cumulative precipitation totals top 200 liters per square meter in affected districts.
Fatal Torrent Sweeps Away Woman in Barcelona
Emergency response teams recovered the body of a woman on Sunday morning after she was pulled into a swollen stream in the Catalan municipality of Cabrera de Mar. According to local officials, the incident occurred around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday as the victim walked alongside her husband and two children near the municipal pavilion.
A search operation involving firefighting units and maritime rescue units located the body approximately six kilometers away at around 11:00 a.m. The Catalan civil protection agency kept its Inuncat alert active as Meteocat reported that the region experienced its heaviest single-day rainfall in six years. From Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning, eastern Catalonia recorded more than 50 liters per square meter in numerous areas, peaking at 97.7 liters in Ciuret, Osona, and approaching 100 liters in parts of Vallès and Baix Llobregat. The storms caused 45 flight cancellations at Barcelona-El Prat airport before operations normalized, while regional rail service Rodalies resumed normal scheduling after a suspension late Saturday.
Red Alerts and Evacuations Across the Valencian Coast
The southern coast of Valencia and northern Alicante remained under red alerts for extraordinary meteorological danger as the storm persisted throughout Sunday. The State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) reported that totals exceeded 200 liters per square meter in La Safor, where an Avamet observation post in Real de Gandía recorded 217.6 liters, alongside 213.4 liters in Rafelcofer and 201.4 liters in Benirredrà.
Lamento la mort d'una dona a Cabrera de Mar a conseqüència de les pluges torrencials d'ahir. El meu sentit condol als seus familiars i amistats.Gràcies a tots els servidors públics que hi han estat treballant. https://t.co/ibprOiRof7
Valencia’s emergency coordination center handled 236 material damage reports, with 145 logged in Alicante, 87 in Valencia, and four in Castellón. Authorities issued Es-Alert mobile warnings urging residents to avoid travel and stay away from flood zones, riverbeds, and seafronts. In Dénia, the rain caused street flooding.
State meteorologist Rubén del Campo noted in a videocomunicado that humid winds from the Mediterranean combined with the storm system to create severe instability across eastern and southern Spain. Del Campo warned that red-alert zones could accumulate more than 300 liters per square meter within a 24-hour window.
Military Deployment in the Balearic Islands
Ibiza and Formentera faced red alerts early Sunday, prompting the deployment of the Spanish Military Emergency Unit (UME) from its third battalion base in Valencia to assist local first responders. The Balearic government activated level 2 of its Inunbal flood risk plan for the two islands, dispatching two successive Es-Alert emergency notifications to mobile phones.
Precipitation totals reached 97.4 liters per square meter in a single hour between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. on Formentera, with 24-hour totals hitting 122.8 liters on the island. Ibiza airport halted operations twice, resulting in 27 canceled flights and 16 diversions. The access road to the airport was closed due to flooding, though alternative routes remained open.
Widespread Disruptions in Andalusia and Murcia
En Andalucía, la Aemet ha activado el aviso naranja por fuertes lluvias y tormentas en la provincia de Almería, donde se esperan acumulaciones de agua de 50 litros por metro cuadrado en una hora. In Málaga’s El Palo neighborhood, heavy overnight rain caused part of a health center roof to collapse, though no injuries were reported.
In Motril, Granada, organizers canceled the Andalusia Half Marathon, which had drawn roughly 2,500 registered runners. In Alicante, a tuba or manga formed over the city without causing structural damage.
The Murcia emergency response center addressed 122 incidents following warnings issued by Aemet for persistent downpours across the region and neighboring Almería.
Suspended Classes and Ongoing Warnings for Monday
Aemet maintained weather warnings for Monday, pointing to continued torrential storms in the Valencian Community, southeastern coastal strips, and the Balearic Islands. The University of Valencia and the Polytechnic University of Valencia kept their campuses closed under a pre-existing level 2 emergency declaration.
In the Balearic Islands, regional authorities ordered the suspension of classes across Mallorca, Ibiza, and Formentera as forecasts warned of potential accumulations reaching 160 liters per square meter in the Pitiusas and 140 liters in Mallorca. Almería and the Region of Murcia remained under orange alerts, with authorities urging residents to limit non-essential movement until the weather system dissipates.
