Storm Adam kills at least four in eastern Spain floods

Storm Adam has killed at least four people in eastern Spain since Oct. 18, 2026, flooding towns in the Valencia region, forcing about 2,000 evacuations and triggering movement restrictions for 850,000 residents.

The worst rain fell on the Valencian counties of La Safor and Marina Alta, where the town of Oliva recorded about 600 litres per square metre in 24 hours, Euronews reported on Oct. 20. One litre per square metre equals one millimetre of rain.

Euronews put the death toll at at least five, while The Spanish Eye, France 24 and Al Jazeera reported four. The difference has not been explained in the reports, and Canada News Media is using the lower figure as the confirmed minimum.

According to The Spanish Eye, two of the dead were found Monday in Oliva: a 79-year-old woman, whose body was found by military emergency personnel, and a man who died at a campsite. Two women died Sunday, one at a beach in Sagunto and another swept away by floodwater in Cabrera de Mar, near Barcelona.

The Spanish weather agency Aemet recorded 131.9 millimetres of rain in one hour at Oliva beach, The Spanish Eye reported. Euronews said L’Atzúvia received 713 litres per square metre during the episode and Pego 632 litres in 36 hours, 430 of them in six hours. Aemet described the rainfall in La Safor and Marina Alta as “exceptional,” Euronews said.

Juan Carlos Valderrama, the Valencian regional emergencies minister, said many people were trapped and that trucks could not reach some areas because of floodwater and overflowing rivers, The Spanish Eye reported. Enrique Moll, the mayor of Pego, said residents of low-lying areas near the Marjal de Pego-Oliva natural park were waiting on rooftops for helicopter rescue.

The Valencian government locked down 145 municipalities in Valencia and Alicante provinces on Monday, and La Safor and Marina Alta were placed at emergency level two, which allows extra state resources. Restrictions were gradually lifted that afternoon, Euronews said. Since the storm began, more than 2,100 people have been evacuated and almost 500 rescued in the Valencia region, and more than 1,300 Civil Guard officers have been deployed, the outlet said.

Schools were closed for more than 100,000 pupils in the Valencia area and for about 160,000 students in the Balearic Islands, Euronews reported. On Ibiza, authorities handled more than 130 incidents, including fallen trees and problems reaching the airport. Rain moved to Barcelona, Girona and Tarragona on Monday afternoon, and Aemet kept warnings in place in nine provinces on Tuesday.

The storm comes almost two years after the October 2024 DANA, the cut-off low-pressure system that flooded the same region and killed more than 220 people. Euronews noted that Oliva’s 600 litres in 24 hours remains below its own 1987 record of 817 litres, and below the 772 litres recorded in Turís in 2024. It also said the early ES-Alert phone warnings, sent over the weekend and again Monday, contrast with the delays in emergency communications that drew fierce criticism in 2024.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was due to visit Valencia on Tuesday around 12:30 local time and speak to the media, Euronews reported. The visit comes as Spain heads to a Nov. 29 election, and as Sánchez faces pressure on other fronts, including migration policy at the EU level.

For Canadians, the Valencia coast, Alicante and the Balearic Islands are popular destinations, and anyone travelling there or with family in the affected area should check the Government of Canada’s travel advice for Spain and follow local civil protection instructions. Authorities have urged residents to avoid rivers, ravines, seafronts and flooded roads, and not to enter basements or garages. Canada News Media has not seen a report of Canadians among the casualties.

Aemet has not given a longer-range forecast in the reports reviewed. Death and damage figures are expected to change as flooded areas become accessible. Canada News Media’s earlier coverage of the 2024 Spanish floods gives background on that disaster.

Via Euronews, The Spanish Eye, France 24 and Al Jazeera.

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