ARCHIVED - Warnings for possible torrential rain in Murcia, Alicante and Almería on Sunday

The Costa Cálida and Costa Blanca could be hit by storms and rain as the weekend ends

After a sunny start to this weekend a yellow alert warning for possible heavy rain has been issued by Aemet for the whole of the Region of Murcia on the afternoon of Sunday 23^rd May, with meteorologists warning that an isolated high altitude depression (or DANA) will be affecting south-eastern Spain.

The alerts come into force at midday and last throughout the afternoon, specifying the possibility of up to 20 millimetres of rainfall in any one hour and 60 millimetres during the 12-hour period.

It's not normal for this type of heavy storm to occur on our coastline at this time of year, but the Mediterranean is warmer than normal and the high temperatures of the last few days have helped to create correct conditions for these rains.

As well as the whole of Murcia the warnings extend to the province of Alicante and Almería, and parts of Albacete and Granada. Weather events of this kind are notoriously hard to predict and on occasion little or no rain actually materializes in some areas, but all of those in the south-east are advised to take the alerts seriously as the DANA and associated “gota fría” storms are capable of causing severe flooding.

There is always a great deal of concern about this type of rain warning as the effects of rain in one location can be felt in another, the ramblas being the biggest issue foreign visitors are advised to be aware of.

Although these dry riverbeds or water channels cut into the land are dry dustbowls for most of the year, when these severe storms do hit, they can rapidly become dangerous torrents of boiling water and many people have died when their vehicles have been swept away by these storms. The greatest danger is that the ramblas run down towards rivers or the sea and often are many kilometres long, so it is perfectly possible for it to be dry and sunny in one area and raining torrentially in another; the result being that a tumbling wave of water can sweep down from nowhere in an area unaffected by the rain.

For this reason, even if it doesn´t actually rain in your own location, avoid these dry waterways during storm warnings; don´t park in them and don´t walk in them, as fatalities do occur every time there is a major weather event.

If it does start to rain torrentially, avoid travelling anywhere, and be aware that the warnings are in place, and maybe plan a trip out for a different day.

This is a little background information for anyone unsure of what Gota Fría storms can be like; as mentioned above, it may not even rain in your particular area, it really is hit and miss.