Storm Leonardo already caused flooding and destruction in Portugal.Image: keystone
Feb 7, 2026, 2:02 p.mFeb 7, 2026, 2:02 p.m
In parts of Portugal and southern Spain, the authorities have issued the second highest severe weather warning level, orange, in view of another storm. The reason was heavy rain, hurricane force winds and high waves on the coasts. The Atlantic low “Marta” hit Portugal in the morning and then made itself felt in Spain, especially in Andalusia and Extremadura.
The region was only hit by storm “Leonardo” on Wednesday and Thursday. In Spain, a woman died in a river in the Málaga region, as the state TV broadcaster RTVE reported. In Portugal there have been a total of 13 deaths from a series of storms since last week. In both countries, the military was called in to support the civil disaster relief forces.
A flooded garage in PortugalImage: keystone
The new heavy rains are likely to further aggravate the situation in both countries, where large areas of land are already under water, reservoirs are at their limits and rivers are overflowing their banks due to an unusually high number of storms in the past few weeks. The soil is already saturated and can no longer absorb any more water. A total of around 11,000 people were evacuated in Spain and, according to reports, around 1,000 residents of low-lying regions in Portugal.
Small town evacuated due to danger of collapse
In the mountain town of Grazalema in Andalusia, tremors similar to an earthquake were even recorded due to masses of water flowing underground from higher altitudes under the city. The entire small town had to be evacuated due to the risk of collapse. There was talk in the media about a rare phenomenon of “hidroseism,” which could be translated as a waterquake.
According to official figures, the damage, especially in Portugal, caused by the extreme storm “Kristin” last week is already in the billions. The floods and hurricane winds destroyed houses, roads and railways became impassable due to landslides and there was enormous damage to agriculture, as the state TV station RTP reported.
Meteorologists explain the unusual series of winter storms in this region, which is otherwise known for its dryness, with a rare weather situation over the Atlantic. A high pressure area over Greenland and Iceland has spread further south than usual. As a result, a high that is normally located near the Azores is currently located further south, which means that Atlantic lows that would otherwise hit Great Britain and Germany are now moving further south. (sda/dpa)