He rose to 217 the death toll caused by the disastrous flood that hit Valencia on the night of 29 October 2024, caused by torrential rainfall due to a DANA (the name given in Spain to the “cold drop” phenomenon). Violent floods also resulted 1900 missingat least 120,000 displaced, 150,000 buildings without water And 50,000 buildings without electricity. The most affected areas were the area from Valencia (where schools remained closed) a Cheste along the course of the Turia river, and further south along the Rio Magro in the areas of Raquena and in the final stretch of the watercourse a Sueca. After hitting the Spanish Mediterranean coast, the bad weather headed towards Balearic Islands and from the early hours of today the DANA passed over Catalonia causing bad weather and flooding in the province of Barcelona and in the province of Castellon. AEMET (the Spanish national meteorological body) had in fact issued aweather alert for the region of Catalonia, where rainfall of up to 200-300 millimeters is expected, and in particular red alert in the province of Barcelona.
AEMET itself has issued the definitive data for the extraordinary rainfall in the Valencian Community. The meteorological station that recorded the most impressive accumulations was that of Turísabout 25 km west of Valencia inland. Here the total rainfall (i.e. the total amount of water that fell) was 641 mm, of which 618 mm in 24 hours. The data is even more impressive considering that these values are actually underestimated, since for about an hour (between 3pm and 4pm) the station was unable to collect rainfall data.
The maximum rate recorded in 10 minutes was 42 millimeters and in one hour it was 179.4 mmwhich is the highest ever recorded in Spain (the previous record dates back to 2018 and was 159.2 millimeters in Vinaros, also in the Valencian Community). To give an idea of how exceptional these values are, consider that the annual average of Turís is 475 millimetres: in other words, the rain expected in 16 months fell here in 24 hours and in 3 hours and 20 minutes the rain expected in an entire year.
As a result, rivers and streams have reached record flows. The Turia river in particular, which passes near Turís and Valencia, has reached a flow rate of 2000 cubic meters per secondcompared to a normal range of “just” 14 m3/s. That of the Turia was not even the highest flow rate recorded during the flood of 29 October: the Poyo stream, not far from the Turia, came close to 2300 cubic meters per second.
Among other things, these floods follow a period of very prolonged drought in the Valencia area. Just think that in the Spanish city, before the streets transformed into rivers of water and mud, it rained between January 2023 and September 2024 in everything 446 mm of rain. In other words, more rain fell in Turís in 24 hours than in Valencia in the previous 21 months. This extreme alternation of periods of great drought with periods of very violent storms is an effect of tropicalization of the Mediterranean climate due to ongoing climate change.
