Thousands of people evacuated as parts of Spain were hit by nearly a month’s worth of rainfall in one hour

More than 4,000 people and a thousand homes have been evacuated in the Malaga area, according to news released on Thursday by Antonio Sanz, director of the Emergency Plan for Flood Risk in Andalusia.

Five areas near the banks of the Guadalhorce River have been evacuated as a precaution due to the risk of spillage.

In just one hour, almost a month’s worth of rainfall inundated the city of Malaga, in the Spanish region of Andalusia, according to data from the meteorological agency AEMet.

Approximately 100 millimeters of rain fell in the southern Spanish province, with 78 millimeters falling within an hour. Malaga usually has an average of 100.5 millimeters in the month of November.

Spain’s meteorological agency has issued red warnings in the regions of Andalusia and Catalonia for extreme rainfall with reports of impassable roads and flooded basements in several towns.

Video from the scene shows streets in Malaga submerged in water.

Malaga City Council has issued evacuation orders near the Campanillas River due to the risk of spillage.

A severe weather warning in Malaga led to the postponement of the Billie Jean King Cup opener, which was due to take place on Wednesday night between Spain and Poland.

Heavy rain should continue during the evening from the provinces of Malaga and Granada to Valencia and Tarragona where up to 180 millimeters was possible.

Authorities announced that schools would be closed on Thursday throughout the province of Malaga, as well as in areas with an orange warning for rain, including the municipalities of Seville, Cádiz and Huelva.

A red weather warning has also been issued for the coastal area of ​​Valencia province for Thursday. Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente announced the closure of all non-essential traffic on Valencia’s roads at 6pm on Wednesday (9am Thursday AEDT).

The Valencia City Council announced that school activities were suspended throughout the city of Valencia and its districts on Wednesday and Thursday to avoid risks.

The country is still reeling from historic floods that killed more than 220 people just two weeks ago, the worst in decades.

Last weekend, protesters marched through Valencia demanding the resignation of regional president Carlos Mazon over his slow response to the deadly natural disaster.