Spain braces for more weather chaos after deadly Valencia floods

Spain is bracing for more weather chaos as storm alerts are put in place for Barcelona, Majorca, and Ibiza just two weeks after deadly floods hit Valencia . The country's national weather agency AEMET warned that a DANA - which occurs when a mass of warm air collides with a stagnant mass of cold air - will form this week in the Med and the south of Spain causing a 'drop in temperatures'.

The DANA will move in from Wednesday and is set to last until Saturday, resulting in 'heavy and persistent rainfall' in the Balearic Islands and the Mediterranean coast. AEMET has issued yellow and amber warnings for rain and storms covering Ibiza, Majorca, Barcelona, and Tarragona, for November 12. There have also been coastal warnings placed along Valencia, Barcelona, Girona, Majorca, and Menorca, with strong winds and large waves expected.

For Wednesday, warnings for heavy rain are in full force for the Valencia and Castellon regions, as well as Ibiza, Majorca, and Girona. A spokesperson for AEMET said: 'The most likely scenario at the moment is that rainfall in the Mediterranean area will begin on Tuesday, with greater probability in the south of the Balearic archipelago, especially in the Pitiusas, without ruling out other points on the Mediterranean coast. 'Starting Wednesday, rainfall is likely to spread over much of the region.'

The brutal weather conditions are expected to improve by the weekend, but it currently remains 'uncertain'. The spokesperson added: 'It is likely that from Saturday the 16th the rainfall will begin to lose intensity in the Mediterranean area and move to the Atlantic slope, although the uncertainty about the evolution of the episode is very high.' The new warnings come just two weeks after catastrophic floods swept through Valencia and parts of north east Spain, claiming the lives of over 200 people. The deadly storm was caused by a DANA, where masses of warm and cols air collide leading to torrential rains and heavy storms.

Eastern and Southern Spain are particularly susceptible to the phenomenon due to its position between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Warm, humid air masses and cold fronts meet in a region where mountains favour the formation of storm clouds and rainfall. Valencia's DANA was one of the three most intense such storms in the last century in the region, Ruben del Campo, spokesperson for the national weather agency AEMET, said.

'Forecasts were in line with what happened. But in an area between Utiel and Chiva, in the province of Valencia, rainfall exceeded 300 litres per square meter. In that area, storm systems formed and regenerated continuously,' he explained. Two days ago, thousands of people took part in a protest calling for officials to lose their jobs following the deadly floods in Valencia. The demonstration was made up of tens of thousands of angered Spaniards who were protesting to demand the resignation of the regional president in charge of the emergency response to the natural disaster.

Some protestors with flares clashed with riot police in front of Valencia's city hall, where the demonstrators started their march - but cops reportedly used batons to strike back. The demonstration was called by around 20 civic groups which are demanding the resignation of Valencian regional leader Carlos Mazon. Mazon is under immense pressure after his administration failed to send out flood alerts to citizens' mobile phones until hours after the flooding began on October 29. Mazon, of the conservative Popular Party, is being criticised for what people are perceiving as a slow and chaotic response to the deadly natural disaster.

Spain's AEMET state forecasting agency issued a red alert at 7.31am but later the same day, regional authorities told Valencians the storm would dissipate in a tweet that was later deleted. Only at 8.15pm did officials finally send a red alert to residents’ mobiles – about two hours after the storm was at its peak, but this only came as many people returned from work leaving them stranded in their vehicles in the flooded roads.

Spain has sent 17,000 troops and police to help the recovery operation. The government has approved a £8.82billion relief package for families, business and local authorities. Valencian authorities are asking for an additional £25.7bilion in aid.

Want more stories like this from the Daily Mail? Visit our profile page and hit the follow button above for more of the news you need.