MADRID – Parts of Spain’s Balearic Islands were put on red alert on Tuesday due to heavy rains, with climatologists predicting that flash floods in autumn and searingly hot summers could be the norm for tourists heading to Iberia in future years.
State weather forecaster AEMET issued a red alert for Ibiza and Formentera. Other parts of the archipelago were placed on yellow alert, and a yellow alert warning was also issued for Mallorca.
On Tuesday, AEMET said there had been over 18cm of rainfall in Ibiza and the nearby island of Formentera over twelve hours.
Spanish television showed images of roads on Ibiza filled with cars trying to drive through the rising water. Islanders tried to stop the brown, sludge-like water from entering their homes or shops.
Some flights to the island were diverted, and images showed water coming through the roof of Ibiza airport.
The end of the summer is when many British tourists head to Spain for a late holiday, to avoid the crowds. This year, torrential rains have already inundated many eastern parts of the country.
Earlier this month, a father and son died after a downpour in Catalonia.
Torrential rains have become 4.5 times more intensive over the past 50 years, according to a study by the Polytechnic University of Catalonia.
“There is no doubt: we’re seeing a chain of increasingly frequent and brutal weather events,” Pedro Zorrilla, head of climate change at Greenpeace, told The i Paper.
“The tourism industry will have to plan for this in the long run,” he added. “Another effect of climate change is raising the sea and leaving some beaches without sand.”
This year, there were 33 days of heat waves in Spain, which were linked to the deaths of 2,800 people, according to a study by Imperial College London published in September.
AEMET said 2025 was the hottest year on record in Spain.
Alexandra Smith, who runs the YouTube channel Mallorca Under The Sun, said she does not think we can “just isolate the weather in Spain as it is unpredictable everywhere. I went to see my family in the southwest of England, where there was very bad flooding.
“It is hard to predict what is happening with the weather,” she added. “We had rain in Mallorca in July, which is something we never have. The authorities manage the situation well, alerting the local population efficiently.”
On Monday, the region of Valencia was also hit by heavy rains, with local schools closed for thousands of pupils as a precaution.
Spanish television showed images of roaring torrents of water gushing through towns like Cullera. Jordi Mayor, Cullera’s mayor, said that many residents had stayed in their homes to avoid potential tragedies.
Valencia was devastated last year when flash floods killed 235 people and caused widespread damage to buildings and farmland.
