Spain Weather Warning Storm Adam: Four Dead as Worst Rainfall In Decades Sweeps Mediterranean Coast | What We Know

At least four people have been killed and thousands forced to flee their homes as Storm Adam, the first named DANA of Spain’s 2026 autumn season, unleashed record-breaking torrential rainfall across the country’s Mediterranean coast, triggering devastating flash floods in Valencia, Alicante and Catalonia and prompting a large-scale emergency response that drew comparisons with the catastrophic floods of October 2024.

Historic rainfall totals were recorded along the Costa Blanca and Valencia coastlines, with Pego in Alicante registering a staggering 620.6mm in just 24 hours, approaching the all-time Spanish record of 817mm set in Oliva in 1987. The Balearic Islands were also severely affected, with the weather station at Ibiza Airport recording its highest 24-hour rainfall figure since measurements began in 1944. 

Spain’s national meteorological agency AEMET described the episode as the most significant rainfall event in nearly four decades, as rivers and ravines burst their banks across the Valencian Community, submerging roads, sweeping away vehicles and leaving residents stranded on rooftops awaiting rescue.

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Spain Weather Warning Storm Adam: Who Were The Victims Of Storm Adam?

A woman drowned after reportedly entering the sea near Sagunt on Sunday evening, while a 79-year-old woman was discovered dead in her ground-floor home in Oliva on Monday morning by the Military Emergency Unit, known as the UME. A 64-year-old man also died after suffering a cardiac arrest at the Eurocamping campsite in Oliva, with local reports indicating that severe flooding in the area had prevented him from receiving proper medical attention.

A fourth victim, a 35-year-old woman from Malgrat de Mar, died near Barcelona after attempting to cross a swollen stream as she left a local sports pavilion and was swept away. Her body was recovered from the sea the following morning.

Spain Weather Warning Storm Adam: How Did Authorities Respond To The Crisis?

At the height of the emergency, residents in as many as 145 municipalities had been instructed to remain indoors as torrential rainfall flooded roads, overwhelmed rivers and triggered emergency rescues. Communities affected included Gandia, Oliva, Dénia, Xàbia and Els Poblets, where the Girona River overflowed and caused serious disruption in surrounding areas.

Around 15 helicopters and 700 emergency personnel, including the UME, the Guardia Civil and firefighters, were deployed across the worst-affected areas to assist residents and carry out rescues. Among those saved was a 93-year-old woman evacuated from her home in Gandia after it was swamped by one and a half metres of floodwater. A family of four were also dramatically rescued after their motorhome was swept away in Pego.