by Richard Davies, Floodlist

While central and northern areas of Spain were brought to a standstill after record snowfall from storm Filomena in early January 2021, coastal areas of the southern Andalusia Region recorded heavy rainfall which caused flash flooding in Málaga and Cadiz Provinces.

According to figures from AEMET, Estepona in Málaga Province recorded 208.4mm of rain on 08 January 2021, while 127.2mm fell in Marbella, 119.6mm in Manilva and 102.8mm in San Roque, Cadiz province. 

Heavy snowfall was reported in higher elevations, complicating the situation for emergency services in Andalusia which received calls to 603 incidents as a consequence of the rain and snowstorm. As many as 327 of the calls were in the province of Málaga after flash flooding damaged roads and homes. 

The regional government said the municipalities of Mijas and Alhaurín de la Torre were among the hardest hit.  More than 50 homes were damaged in Las Lagunas de Mijas due to the overflowing of the Fuengirola river.

Two people died after their vehicle was swept away by flood waters in Mijas. Firefighters managed to rescue 5 others from a separate vehicle. Meanwhile, 2 people were injured when a wall of a house collapsed due to heavy rains in Algeciras, Cádiz Province.