Storm Aline brought strong winds and heavy rains to much of Spain on Thursday, causing flooding, fallen trees, and traffic disruptions in multiple cities. The downpours also swept through Spain's capital city Madrid, flooding streets and numerous Metro stations. The heavy rainfall caused the closure of several metro lines for hours while regional trains and high-velocity lines suffered delays, news agency Reuters reported.
Banco de Espana metro station in Madrid was also hit by flooding on Thursday that caused waterfalls to form, with water seen cascading down staircases. Roads across the central region were also seen in other clips totally submerged in muddy water.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), a user shared the video which showed the stairs leading down to Metro stations gushing with rainwater making it impossible for commuters to enter.
Watch the videos below:
According to Reuters, Madrid metro lines 1, 5, and 7 remained closed for hours while regional trains and high-velocity lines suffered delays. Retiro Park was also closed due to strong winds, and record rain levels were recorded in 24 hours in the area.
The news agency reported that the north of Spain on Friday was still on Orange alert, the second highest, due to strong gusts of wind.
Separately, according to Spanish media outlet The Olive Press, Madrid and Galicia are among the worst-affected areas so far. Additionally, several residents in other regions were warned of potential flash flooding on Thursday.
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According to Euro Weekly News, the effects of Strom Aline even resulted in significant disruption at Malaga Airport. The majority of flights scheduled to land were postponed, and nearly 40 were rerouted. Some pilots even had to abort their landings while others didn't even attempt the procedure.
"You have to be very patient," air traffic controllers posted via their official X account, highlighting the challenging conditions at Malaga Airport. Diversions included airports in Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, Granada, Almeria, Alicante, Valencia, and Jerez de la Frontera, the outlet reported.
