SPAIN’S state weather agency has activated orange alerts for torrential downpours, giant hail and gale-force winds across the Costa Blanca, Valencia and the Balearics.
The warning from AEMET claims a ‘significant risk’ for residents and tourists across large swathes of the Mediterranean coastline.
Severe conditions are being driven by an incoming vaguada, a high-altitude trough of cold low pressure sweeping over exceptionally warm sea waters.
Forecasters warn the clash of air masses could trigger an isolated depression, traditionally known in Spain as a gota fria, unleashing severe supercell storms.
The unstable front is expected to build rapidly from 4pm on Wednesday, first erupting across Teruel and inland Valencia before sweeping towards the coast.
On Wednesday from 8pm, orange alerts cover southern Mallorca, the province of Barcelona, northern coastal Tarragona, and central Valencia, with wind gusts expected to surpass 80kph.
AEMET warned that rainfall in Valencia could reach between 40 and 60mm in just one hour, and exceed 120mm within two to three hours.
Downpours of that volume can quickly overwhelm municipal drainage systems and turn dry ravines into dangerous torrents.
Meteorologists have also warned of large hail exceeding 2cm in diameter, with the risk of stones larger than 5cm falling in the most intense storm cells.
The worst of the weather front will shift further south on Thursday, directly targeting expat population hubs along the Costa Blanca.
Updated warning maps show orange alerts expanding across Alicante province, the Region of Murcia, southern Valencia, and the Pitiusa islands of Ibiza and Formentera.
In Catalunya, regional weather service Meteocat warned that downpours could dump more than 40mm of rain in 30 minutes, maintaining high alert levels into Friday morning.
Civil protection authorities have urged the public to secure outdoor furniture, avoid parking near seasonal riverbeds, and postpone non-essential road journeys while alerts remain active.
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