One dead as deadly Storm Leonardo batters Iberian Peninsula Thousands in Spain, Portugal forced to flee

At least one person has died, and thousands of residents have been forced to flee their homes as Storm Leonardo battered Spain and Portugal, bringing torrential rainfall, severe flooding, and widespread disruption across the Iberian Peninsula.

Authorities told foreign media that intense downpours pushed rivers and reservoirs to “extreme” risk levels, prompting school closures and the cancellation of train services in multiple regions.

In Portugal, a man in his 60s was discovered dead inside his vehicle after it was swept away by strong currents near a dam in the municipality of Serpa. A spokesperson for the country’s national civil protection authority confirmed the fatality, saying a vehicle had been found with a single occupant.

In southern Spain, the town of Grazalema in Andalusia recorded extraordinary rainfall, receiving more than 40 centimetres in just 24 hours — roughly equivalent to the amount of rain Madrid typically sees over an entire year, according to a spokesperson for Spain’s weather agency, AEMET.

Regional and national authorities have mobilised extensive emergency resources to manage the unfolding crisis, which comes just a week after Storm Kristin left six people dead and thousands without electricity.

At least 3,500 residents were evacuated across Andalusia as flooding persisted, while more than 1,200 emergency workers and 400 military personnel were deployed to assist in the most vulnerable areas. Emergency aircraft and helicopters were also dispatched to monitor zones deemed most critical.

Spain’s AEMET placed large parts of the affected region under its highest-level alert, warning of “extraordinary” rainfall, flooding, and landslides.

Local officials said the situation was being worsened by already saturated soil. Maria Paz Fernandez, the mayor of Ronda, told the public broadcaster that the ground could no longer absorb additional rainfall, adding that numerous landslides had occurred in surrounding rural areas.

In Portugal, authorities raised the national alert level to its maximum through at least Friday, cautioning that several rivers remained at high risk of overflowing.

Meanwhile, the country continues to grapple with the aftermath of Storm Kristin. Nearly 134,000 households were still without power this week, including around 95,000 in the central Leiria region, according to electricity distribution company E-Redes.

By Tamilla Hasanova