A red weather alert has been issued in Murcia after torrential rain battered Cartagena on Thursday morning.
The deluge dumped more than 70 litres per square metre in an hour and is causing widespread disruption.
State weather agency Aemet was forced to place the Campo de Cartagena and Mazarron under its highest-level warning, with up to 60 litres per square metre forecast in one hour and 100 litres over 12 hours.
The red alert was due to remain in force until midday on Thursday.
The situation comes after severe flash flooding hit neighbouring Valencia on Wednesday night, where streets were transformed into rivers and dramatic videos showed cars surrounded by fast-moving water.
In Cartagena, the worst of Thursday morning’s downpours arrived after around 9am, with more than 70 litres per square metre recorded in the space of an hour.
Most of the incidents being handled by the regional emergency coordination centre were reported in the Cartagena municipality.
Several roads were flooded or closed, while police urged motorists to avoid areas including Ciudad Jardin, Cartagonova, Ensanche, Ramon y Cajal and Ronda Ciudad de La Union because of accumulated water.
Camino del Sifon was among the roads shut to traffic, with further closures reported around the RM-605, F-37 and F-51. Urban buses were also suffering delays and the city’s beach bus service was suspended.
Trains cancelled as deluge hits
The extreme weather also caused major disruption to the rail network.
Renfe suspended some services between Cartagena and Los Nietos, as well as local and medium-distance services travelling to and from Cartagena.
The downpour also forced the evacuation of the Carthaginians and Romans festival camp in Cartagena.
Aemet spokesman Ruben del Campo warned that another bout of torrential rainfall could not be ruled out in Cartagena and Mazarron in the coming hours, with the most adverse conditions expected to persist into Thursday afternoon, particularly in Murcia, Ibiza and Formentera.
An orange warning was meanwhile activated between 10am and midday for the Guadalentin Valley, Lorca and Aguilas, where rainfall could reach 50 litres per square metre in an hour and 100 litres over 12 hours.
The same areas, along with Campo de Cartagena and Mazarron, were also under an orange storm warning due to the risk of strong wind gusts and hail.
