Feb 4, 2026, 2:56 p.mFeb 4, 2026, 2:56 p.m
The Atlantic low “Leonardo” is causing chaotic conditions in the south of Spain and Portugal with heavy rain and stormy winds.
The streets in Andalusia, Spain, are flooded.Image: keystone
In Andalusia, Spain, around 3,000 people had to be evacuated from low-lying residential areas due to flooding, schools were closed, train services were stopped on some routes and roads were closed, as the Spanish state TV broadcaster RTVE reported. The national weather service Aemet warned that some regions could receive a year’s average amount of rain in just a few hours.
Some apartments are flooded.Image: keystone
Floods in Portugal
The situation was similar in Portugal, where people were still busy cleaning up after the devastating storm “Kristin,” which caused severe damage on Wednesday last week. Several villages were cut off from the outside world by new floods as a result of “Leonardo”, rivers overflowed their banks, schools had to remain closed, and road and rail traffic was hindered, especially by landslides and fallen trees.
As in Spain, the soil is already saturated and can hardly absorb water, reported the national TV channel RTP. Further storms were also expected in the coming days, as Portugal’s national weather service Ipma warned.
Foothills of the storm are expected to reach Mallorca
There were also warnings about the effects of “Leonardo” on the popular holiday island of Mallorca. The foothills of the storm are expected to reach the island on Thursday. The yellow warning level applies, the third highest storm warning from Aemet.
In gusts on the mountains there could be wind speeds of up to 120 kilometers per hour. In the east and south, where the Ballermann beach is, there are said to be waves up to ten meters high. Here the weather service has issued the second highest of the three warning levels with the color orange. (hkl/sda/dpa)