MADRID, Spain — Spain’s southeastern regions are under red weather alerts as Storm Alice, a slow-moving and moisture-laden system, continues to dump historic levels of rainfall, particularly in the province of Alicante. Severe flooding, school closures, and hundreds of emergency interventions have been reported.
The storm, named Alice by Spain’s national weather agency AEMET, is associated with a meteorological phenomenon known as a DANA (Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos), or Isolated Depression in High Levels. This system has generated intense, persistent thunderstorms over warm Mediterranean waters, creating highly unstable atmospheric conditions.
The province of Alicante has been hit hardest. AEMET issued a red alert for the region after rainfall totals exceeded 200 mm (8 inches) in several areas, with some locations seeing more than 220 mm in a single day. The Vega Baja region — including towns like Orihuela, Torrevieja, Dolores, and Pilar de la Horadada — is experiencing widespread flooding. Streets, homes, and businesses are underwater, and water levels in parts of Orihuela exceeded 40 cm, prompting road closures and school shutdowns.
Más de 50 l/m² en lo que llevamos de día en algunos barrios de la ciudad de Alicante.
— Climatología UA (@climatologia_ua) October 9, 2025
Algunos anegamientos puntuales debido a la intensidad de la lluvia.
📹 Salva Parada. pic.twitter.com/vdfMsjVbMI
In Torrevieja, over 220 mm of rain was recorded, while nearby towns such as Rojales and Guardamar del Segura reported totals near 190 mm. Sudden surges were also observed in local rivers like the Albujón and Abanilla, though no major overflows had occurred at the time of reporting.
Radar imagery revealed persistent convective cells over the Vega Baja, with some areas experiencing as much as 70 mm (2.75 inches) of rainfall per hour—the kind of rainfall rates that can overwhelm drainage systems and trigger flash flooding within minutes.
Meteorologists emphasize that such configurations are difficult to forecast precisely and can become destructive when stalled over one location.
Forecast: Gradual Improvement, But The Risk Remains
Storm Alice is now slowly shifting toward the western Mediterranean, though it will continue to impact Spain’s southeastern coast for the next 24 hours. Intense showers are expected to persist in the southern Alicante coast, along with wind gusts exceeding 70 km/h (43 mph).
Conditions may begin to ease by Saturday, with more scattered and weaker rain expected. However, the risk of renewed thunderstorms cannot be fully ruled out.
In Dolores, Almoradí, and Redován, rural roads have been washed out, and floodwaters have impacted agricultural operations. Power outages were reported in Orihuela, and the airport in Elche saw rainfall totals exceeding 90 mm.
This latest DANA underscores a worsening trend of intense autumn rainstorms along the Mediterranean coast. Experts link this to warmer-than-average sea temperatures, which enhance the severity of storms like Alice.
Meteorologists warn that similar configurations may repeat in the coming weeks if temperature contrasts between cold upper air and the warm Mediterranean persist.
