Brutal storm batters Spain's Costa Blanca: Cars left submerged as torrential rain turns streets into rivers in Brit holiday hotspots

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 13:35 EDT, 19 September 2026 | Updated: 14:10 EDT, 19 September 2026 Brutal storms have battered one of Spain's most popular holiday hotspots, with torrential rain and flash flooding turning streets to rivers.The Costa Blanca was lashed by severe weather on Saturday morning as storms tore through the province of Alicante, just 48 hours after a British man died in flash floods near Barcelona.Up to 50 litres of rain per square metre fell along parts of the coast in just a few hours.The deluge was accompanied by booming thunder and lightning strikes, with sudden flooding turning roads into rivers.Dramatic footage shows dozens of cars stranded in muddy floodwater as containers are swept into the path of traffic.Another clip shows water surging onto a bar terrace, leaving chairs and tables submerged.Popular holiday destinations including Alicante and Benidorm were among the areas hit by the severe weather. Brutal storms have battered one of Spain's most popular holiday hotspots, unleashing torrential rain, flash flooding and a dramatic waterspout off the coast A powerful weather front swept from north to south across the Costa Blanca, in the province of Alicante, on Saturday morning, just 48 hours after a British man died in flash floods near BarcelonaNear neighbouring Denia, a huge waterspout was spotted swirling over the sea.Meanwhile, firefighters were deployed in Orihuela after a palm tree was struck by lightning and caught fire.Spain's national weather agency AEMET described the storms as highly localised but very intense, with rainfall totals varying sharply between nearby coastal communities.The agency issued an orange alert for wind, rain and storms, which was later dropped.A yellow alert is currently in force for Lorca, Cartagena and San Javier.The storms struck just days after a British man died in flash floods in the town of Olivella, around 20 miles from Barcelona.Rescuers recovered the man's 'lifeless body' around 1,500ft from his car after it was swept away by a stream, authorities said. Joan Ramon Cabello, prevention subdirector at Catalan Civil Protection, told regional broadcaster 3Cat the man was 'in a vehicle' and it seemed he 'tried to get out' before being washed away in the water.Thursday's deluge caused widespread travel disruption across Catalonia and Valencia, with flights cancelled and roads submerged. Up to 50 litres of rain per square metre fell along parts of the coast in just a few hours The deluge was accompanied by booming thunder and lightning strikes, with sudden flooding turning roads into riversAuthorities have also warned that popular holiday destinations including Benidorm, Ibiza and Magaluf will be hit by severe weather in the coming days.Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned of 'very complicated situations' as authorities urged people not to travel.The extreme weather comes after Spain endured its hottest summer on record.Wildfires erupted across the country, with dramatic footage showing the scale of the devastation.