A supercell thunderstorm that moved through northeastern Spain produced torrential rainfall, hail and turned streets into raging rivers on Thursday, leading to water rescues.
Video from the Aragón region showed cars being swept down streets by the fast-moving runoff.
One of the hardest hit areas appeared to be the city of Zaragoza, which has an estimated population of more than 650,000 residents.
Local authorities said several water rescues and evacuations occurred but did not report any fatalities from the flash flood event.
According to Spain’s State Meteorological Agency, rain fell at a rate of more than 4 inches per hour in Zaragoza and nearby Alcañiz.
The mayor of Zaragoza said the quick response by firefighters and police prevented serious injuries, and more than 200 personnel were deployed to deal with the aftermath of the disaster.
“I walked through one of the most damaged areas in Venice Park and was able to chat with many affected who said they feared for their lives and were disbelief of what happened,” Mayor Natalia Chueca stated.
The local government said damage surveys were still underway, but millions of dollars in repair work would be needed following the storm.
Just hours after the flash flooding, crews were seen removing mud and other debris from streets during clean-up efforts.
Severe storms during the summer are not a rare sight across the continent, with significant hail, damaging winds and even tornadoes.
The European Severe Storms Laboratory said many of the 8,224 large hail reports in 2022 occurred during the season.
In August 2022, a massive hailstorm struck northeastern Spain killing a person and injuring 50 others. — Fox Weather
