Storm Leonardo has forced severe weather alerts across the Iberian peninsula after days of torrential rain and strong winds. The slow-moving system has been affecting Spain and Portugal since Tuesday, bringing widespread disruption, flooding and evacuations.
In Grazalema, southern Spain, more than 700 mm of rain fell between Wednesday and Thursday — roughly equivalent to the country’s average annual rainfall — causing rivers to burst their banks and towns to flood.
Across Andalucía around 3,500 people have been evacuated, roads and schools have closed, and transport networks have been disrupted. Spain’s state meteorological agency, Aemet, issued its highest red alert for heavy rain in Cádiz and parts of Málaga, where roughly 150 mm was recorded in just 12 hours on Thursday.
Emergency teams continue a search in Málaga province after a girl was reported missing after being swept away by the Turvilla river.
Portugal, still recovering from Storm Kristin — which killed at least five people last week — has also been badly hit. Fresh downpours have triggered flooding, landslides and fallen trees, forcing more than 200 people to evacuate. Authorities reported an additional death in the southern Alentejo region when a man’s car was washed away by floodwaters.
The storm’s impacts extend into northern Morocco, where flash floods from overflowing rivers and reservoirs have forced more than 100,000 people to evacuate. The city of Ksar El-Kebir in the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region is among the worst affected.
Meteorologists say the extreme rainfall is linked to an unusually southward-shifted jet stream that allowed Leonardo to intensify and stall. The system has also tapped an “atmospheric river” channeling tropical moisture from the Caribbean, continually replenishing heavy rain. With soils already saturated and rivers swollen after weeks of wet weather, the risk of further flooding and landslides remains high, particularly in southern Spain.
Leonardo is expected to linger near the northwest of the Iberian peninsula into early next week, keeping conditions unsettled. Northern and central Portugal could receive an additional 150–250 mm of rain by the end of the week.
Separately, Tropical Storm Penha developed from a low-pressure area over the Philippine Sea late on Tuesday and moved west toward Mindanao. By Thursday the system was producing wind gusts of up to 45 mph before making landfall in Surigao del Sur.
Penha is expected to generate storm surges up to two metres along coastal areas and to produce 200–300 mm of rain in 24 hours in some inland locations. Sustained winds of 38–55 mph raise the risk of structural and vegetation damage. The storm should weaken as it crosses northern Mindanao and Negros and is forecast to dissipate near Palawan.
Emergency services in all affected regions remain on alert as rescue, evacuation and recovery operations continue.