Flooding all along Costa del Sol.
© Fuengirola se queja.Flooding all along Costa del Sol.
A massive rain and hail storm brought the Costa del Sol to a standstill Monday morning after an orange alert warning from AEMET, the state meteorological service.

The warning, which is ongoing until the evening, is mostly affecting Malaga capital, the Costa del Sol and Guardalhorce Valley areas. Emergency services have received hundreds of calls about flooding of ground floor homes and businesses. Luckily so far there have been no serious injuries other than shock. Most of the damage done has been to personal property and vehicles.

One woman became stuck in her car when trying to cross to the other side of an underpass below the Cercanias commuter train line in Torremolinos. She was unable to leave her car on her own, but a local person managed to get her out and to safety through the hatchback of the car.


Also, in Fuengirola, firefighters had to rescue a family when they drove their vehicle near the Miramar shopping centre through the tunnel that leads to the castle. A father and his two daughters, aged 4 and 2, needed assistance exiting their car, which had become waterlogged and trapped.

Floodwaters down El Charcón stream dragged away a section of a wooden pedestrian bridge in Mijas Costa. Council sources explained that although it is a wooden bridge that runs at the height of the beach, it does not form part of the Coastal Path.

The storm that has been hitting the province of Malaga this Monday and that has caused so many problems is also being felt in the form of snow at higher sites. The highest peaks, such as those of the Sierra de las Nieves National Park, have been turned white with the Torrecilla, at 1,919 metres of altitude, as its highest peak.

Also in other areas of the province, there is intense snow falling, especially around La Maroma, the Sierras Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama, leaving a beautiful, but chilly feel in all of the province.