Severe storms brought torrential rain and frequent thunder and lightning to Málaga and the Costa del Sol on Wednesday morning, with some 1,200 lightning strikes recorded in the space of just 2 hours. The storms were caused by an active cold front which moved through the area in the wake of Hurricane Ophelia, ending a prolonged settled spell brought about by a persistent area of high pressure over Spain. AEMET, the Spanish Meteorological Agency, issued an amber warning which remained in place until Thursday morning.
The storms caused widespread power cuts and severely affected the morning rush hour as roads were blocked by flash floods, fallen branches and even dislodged boulders. The emergency services dealt with some 70 incidents throughout the province. The two most serious involved a man who had to be taken to hospital after he slipped and fell into the water at Málaga Port and a man who had to be rescued from his vehicle as he tried to cross a swollen stream at Torrox near Nerja.
The heavy rainfall also temporarily closed the Caminito del Rey walkway in El Chorro due to the potential risk to visitors. However, the company running the attraction said that visitors could swap their tickets for another day.
Thankfully, the cold front had moved away by Thursday morning to be replaced by more typical warm, dry and sunny weather. Glorious sunshine has been forecast for the following days with the week ahead also looking very promising.
