Thousands evacuated in the Costa del Sol and locals tying their cars to lampposts to avoid being washed away as a storm red alert is issued and officials warn ‘extreme rainfall’ could lead to more flooding

Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes on the Costa del Sol amid fresh fears of flooding after a weather warning for the area went from yellow to red and locals and holidaymakers were warned of an ‘extreme risk’.

The Spanish Civil Protection Agency sent a mass alert to mobile phones in the province of Malaga just after 10pm last night, warning in Spanish and English: ‘Red alert activated. Extreme risk of rainfall. Be very careful, avoid traveling.”

Malaga residents are so fearful of a repeat of the damage caused by the floods in Valencia late last month that many have tied their cars to lampposts and wrapped them in plastic to limit exposure to water.

In a move estimated to have affected more than 300,000 students, it was announced that all schools in the province would remain closed today.

Earlier, a “preventive” evacuation began of about 3,000 people living in about 1,000 houses near the Guadalhorce River, one of the hardest-hit areas during heavy rains and storms a fortnight ago, which were blamed for the death of one 71 year old Brit. expat.

The famous Costa del Sol, including the tourist resorts of Marbella and Estepona, is expected to bear the brunt of the extreme weather phenomenon known as DANA, a cold snap that caused the catastrophic flash floods that killed more than 200 people in and around the came to life. the city of Valencia alone on the east coast.

Malagans were seen wrapping their cars in plastic to limit exposure to water

They also tied their cars to lampposts, after scenes of mass destruction in Valencia

Yellow, orange and red warnings were issued in the areas around Malaga and Marbella

The streets of Malaga are already starting to flood

The weather warnings are expected to last until midnight

Rain was yet to start on the famous stretch of coast at first light this morning, but this is expected to change from around 10am local time, with a red weather warning remaining in force until midnight.

Regional government representative Antonio Sanz admitted last night as he announced today’s home evacuations and school closures: ‘The situation for the province of Malaga is of extreme risk.

‘The forecast was that we would be in yellow, but the weather agency Aemet has set this to red.’

Residents in specific areas near the Guadalhorce River in inland towns such as Alora, Cartama and Alhaurin de la Torre have been moved from their homes to temporary shelters, including sports centers, where they cannot find alternative accommodation with friends or family.

The British OAP who died in hospital in Malaga a fortnight ago had been rescued hours earlier from his flooded home in one of the risk areas with hypothermia after a heart attack.

Locals were photographed yesterday afternoon boarding up the doors of their homes or placing sandbags in front of them as they prepared for what was to come.

The warning for the Costa Del Sol region comes after catastrophic flash flooding that killed more than 200 people in and around the east coast city of Valencia alone (pictured)

A man cleans his house after heavy rain and flooding hit large parts of the country on November 4, 2024 in Paiporta, Spain

A person crosses the La Saleta ravine that recently flooded due to heavy rainfall in Aldaia, Valencia, Spain, November 13, 2024

The city of Valencia and some of its suburbs are still recovering from the terrible flooding at the end of last month

People also started stocking up, with reports of supermarkets in parts of Malaga running out of items such as bottled water and meat.

Castellon north of Valencia, another area under red alert, got an early taste of the latest extreme weather phenomenon to hit Spain.

Towns such as Benicarlo, which hosts a famous annual music festival, and Vinaros were among the hardest hit.

Street waste containers drifted through flooded streets there last night as motorists struggled to avoid them.

Today’s school closures due to bad weather will also affect thousands of children on the northern part of the Costa Blanca, including Denia and Calpe near Benidorm.

A firefighter helps clean the flood-affected municipality of Paiporta, Valencia province, Spain, November 12, 2024

Volunteers help clean the flood-affected municipality of Paiporta, Valencia province, Spain, November 12, 2024

The city of Valencia and some suburbs, still recovering from the terrible floods late last month, also decided to suspend classes.

Two brothers have been found swept away from their father as he desperately held them during floods in Valencia last month.

The bodies of Ruben and Izan Matias were found eight kilometers downstream by a group of specialized Mexican rescue volunteers.

The siblings were washed away when their father Victor held them as water rushed around their home in Torrent on the outskirts of Valencia 15 days ago.

A large shipping container, picked up from a nearby truck stop, had crashed into their house and knocked down the walls, sending them flowing down the river.

In a post on social media, a family member confirmed they had been found on Tuesday, saying: ‘We are devastated. We had no hope of finding them alive, but it always hurts when they confirm they are dead.

“We have some peace because we have found them and can begin to grieve for the little ones.

Another family member said: ‘Our little angels are now watching over us from heaven. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your show of affection.”

A bone-dry summer in Spain has made way for an autumn full of bizarre weather phenomena.

Last Friday, residents of Cadaques in the northern Spanish province of Girona woke up to a scene of devastation after 32 cars were washed away by floodwaters.

Many ended up piled on top of each other near a bridge in front of the city casino, with at least one of the destroyed vehicles appearing to belong to foreign tourists due to its clearly visible license plate.

A man pulls a shopping cart over a bridge after floods in Catarroja left hundreds dead or missing in Spain’s Valencia region, Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Mud is scooped up after floods in Catarroja left hundreds dead or missing in Spain’s Valencia region, Tuesday, November 12, 2024

A man walks past piled-up cars after floods in Catarroja left hundreds dead or missing in Spain’s Valencia region, Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Miraculously, there were no reports of human casualties in the former fishing village near the former home of famed artist Salvador Dali.

Cadaques is just over three hundred miles north of Valencia, where the vast majority of the 223 people killed in flash floods in Spain late last month died.

Spanish King Felipe VI, who was pelted with mud along with Queen Letizia and Spanish politicians including Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez during his first visit to Valencia in the aftermath of the natural disaster, returned to the city alone yesterday.

This time he visited soldiers who helped with rescue and clean-up efforts.