This is the moment a severe bout of hail and a so-called ‘thermal downburst’ tore through southeastern Spain on Thursday.
Footage shared online shows a whole rooftop structure being completely blown away in Espinardo, Murcia.
The town appears to have been the hardest hit by the downburst, with other videos showing how it tore off roof panels and almost tore trees out of the ground due to its sheer force.
In one video, young women can be heard shrieking in shock while desperately trying to bring their clothes in from the terrace.
Forecasters had earlier warned of powerful downbursts – sudden bursts of wind that can arrive with little warning.
Local councils in Orihuela, Alicante and Guardamar del Segura raised the red flag on their beaches, banning swimming in the sea at 5pm, with at least 27 beaches affected.
The closures came after state weather agency Aemet issued red alerts for extreme heat across much of Alicante and Murcia.
Councils urged residents and tourists to leave beaches before the weather deteriorated and remove parasols, gazebos, sunbeds and any loose objects that could become airborne.
After 5pm, one local shared a photo taken from their window in Murcia, showing the sky completely overcast and filled with so-called ‘calima’ (Saharan dust).
They wrote: ’41C, cloudy, almost no oxygen to breathe, gusts of wind with disgusting Saharan dust and a weird rain, that comes and goes in spurts, of big drops, noisy.
‘Man, we’re gonna start putting the beginning of the apocalypse down in writing…’
The storms come as Spain endures one of its most intense heatwaves of the summer, with red alerts in force across parts of Murcia, Alicante and Valencia for temperatures of up to 44C.
Meteorologists had warned that the exceptional heat could trigger isolated but violent thunderstorms, bringing hail, torrential downpours and damaging wind gusts to parts of the southeast.
