According to Spain’s meteorological agency, AEMET, over 300 millimeters of rain fell over the province of Valencia on October 29th. Meteorologists have explained this by what is called a cut-off lower-pressure storm system, which parked over the province and poured rain due to a changing jet stream– the air above the land that moves weather systems and can sometimes engender extreme weather. This is a relatively natural event that tends to occur in Spain in autumn and winter; however, these events have drastically intensified as a result of climate change.
Car and debris strewn across a railway line close to Valencia, Getty Images.
As our atmosphere warms, the number of rainstorms increases; in other words, the more moisture in the air, the heavier the rainfall becomes. Dr Speight, lecturer at the University of Oxford’s School of Geography and the Environment, explained that “Climate change is changing the structure of our weather systems creating conditions where intense thunderstorms stall over a region leading to record-breaking rainfall—a pattern that we are seeing time and time again.” Furthermore, Spain has undergone severe droughts, and this has made the ground far less capable of absorbing rainwater, worsening the floods.
Image via Kob 4.
According to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the government approved $11.5 billion in loans and grants to aid storm and flood victims. Valencia’s president, Carlos Mazón, however, stated that local authorities had initially asked for $34 billion to remedy the storm’s severe effects. The storm and flooding have had serious consequences on many economic sectors, and Valencia’s Chamber of Commerce estimated that about 4,500 businesses have endured significant damage. Furthermore, its death toll of over two hundred people thus far has placed it among the most catastrophic recent natural disasters in Western Europe. And the intense rainfall in Spain continues to this day.
Despite the enormity of the damage, thousands of volunteers are currently working alongside soldiers and police reinforcements to provide aid, donate food, supplies, and/or money, and clean up the overwhelming amount of mud, mire, wrecked cars, and ruined homes.
Image via inspaain.news.
Sources:
Spirlet, Thibault. “Counting the cost of Spain’s hellish floods, the government pledged $11B, local officials want $34B.” Business Insider, 5 November 2024, https://www.aol.com/counting-cost-spains-hellish-floods-142849377.html
“Valencia Floods.” Earth Observatory, 30 October 2024, https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/153533/valencia-floods
Associated Press. “What to Know About the Unprecedented Floods That Killed More than 200 in Spain.” Time Magazine, 4 November 2025, updated 5 November 2024,
Frost, Rosie. “Why was Valencia flooding so deadly, did warning texts come too late and what’s the climate link?” Euronews, 31 October 2024,
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