MALAGA province and the wider Costa del Sol have been placed on a yellow weather alert today as a severe storm front brings the threat of torrential showers, high winds, and ‘blood rain’.
State weather agency Aemet upgraded the warning for Malaga this morning (April 7), signalling a dramatic and messy end to the recent sunny spell for expats and locals alike.
A slow-moving cold storm is currently dragging a warm mass of suspended Saharan dust, known as a calima, across the southern peninsula.
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When this dense dust mixes with the incoming showers, it will trigger the dreaded ‘blood rain’ (lluvias de barro) – a frustrating weather phenomenon notorious for coating terraces, swimming pools, and cars in a thick layer of brown dirt.
According to Aemet, the instability will peak this afternoon and into the evening across Malaga and western Andalucia.
Torrential downpours are expected to dump between 15mm and 20mm of rain in just one hour, while inland areas face a high risk of sudden hailstorms.
Strong southerly winds will also batter the coastline and western Andalucia, with gusts expected to top 70km/h.
Authorities have warned drivers to exercise extreme caution on the A7 motorway due to poor visibility from the dust and hazardous, slippery conditions.
While Andalucia braces for the muddy downpours, the severe weather is also wreaking havoc further north.
The storm front is slowly tracking across the western half of the mainland, prompting Aemet to issue simultaneous yellow warnings for Extremadura, western Castilla y Leon, and Galicia.
In these exposed northern and western regions, wind gusts are forecast to exceed 80km/h today, with total rainfall accumulations expected to surpass 80mm over the next 48 hours.
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