Torrential rain and potentially damaging flooding are forecast in eastern Spain over the coming days, as cold upper air moves over the warm, humid surface air of the Mediterranean Sea, fuelling violent, slow-moving thunderstorms near Spain’s east coast. The weather pattern, known as a Dana, occurs most often in autumn.
Models show more than ۱۰۰mm of rain could fall across the region on Friday, with ۲۰۰-۳۰۰mm possible in some areas. Cities including Valencia and Castelló de la Plana, are most at risk. Valencia has experienced several damaging floods in recent years. Catalonia has now put three towns under lockdown and Valencia has shut schools for nearly half a million children.
Meanwhile, heavy rainfall in Nepal last week resulted in ۵۴۲ disaster incidents and left ۲۷ people dead between ۲۴ and ۲۷ September, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority. Of the recorded incidents, ۳۰۴ were related to landslides while ۸۷ were linked to flooding.
During this extremely wet period, ۱۸۶ meteorological sites recorded more than ۱۰۰mm of rainfall, with Dedhgaun, in Lumbini province, recording ۵۴۴.۲mm. Nearly a million people received SMS flood warnings, and ۲,۰۰۰ people living in high-risk areas were relocated.
This heavy rainfall also affected the Gandak River in Bihar, north-east India, which reached a record water level of ۹۱.۲۵ metres on Tuesday, ۰.۳۵m metres above the previous record, set only in ۲۰۲۴, according to the water resources department. So far, ۱۶۹ seepage points along the embankments have been repaired, with teams deployed across several sites along the river as the embankments continue to face heavy water pressure.
Strong winds, heavy rainfall and coastal flooding have hit the north-east US as a very deep area of low pressure developed into a nor’easter on Saturday. Such storms are named due to the north-easterly winds typically affecting coastal areas. This was the first nor’easter of the autumn and winter season, bringing gusts of up to ۷۴mph (۱۱۹km/h) and waves rising to ۳ metres.
The storm left approximately ۲۰۰,۰۰۰ people without power, inundated the streets of New York City and killed one person when a tree fell in Brooklyn. However, the storm also uncovered a piece of history as the wreckage from the Warren Sawyer, a three-masted ship destroyed in ۱۸۸۴, washed ashore on Nantucket, off Cape Cod in Massachusetts.
