A series of weather alerts have been issued for central and southern Spain amid freak August rain and hail storms.
Footage shared online from the province of Albacete shows how layers of hail are rapidly melting to turn streets into rivers.
The dramatic scenes were recorded in the municipality of Calles de La Vegallera on Friday afternoon.
It came as the government of the Castilla-La Mancha region activated METEOCAM, essentially placing the entire region on alert for adverse weather and sparking preparations for emergency response operations.
The decision was made at 3.10pm on Friday following warnings issued by the state weather agency Aemet, which warned of heavy rain and storms in several parts of Castilla-La Mancha.
The public weather service has issued an orange level warning in the Albacete regions of Alcaraz and Segura, where rainfall of up to 30 litres per square meter is expected in just one hour.
Meanwhile, the rest of the region is under a yellow-level warning for both rain and storms with strong gusts of wind.
The 112 emergency service has already issued advice to residents set to be the most affected by the storms.
It said: ‘If you are caught in very heavy rain on the road, reduce your speed, adjusting to visibility. Avoid passing through flooded sections, riverbeds, or gullies. If you are walking in the countryside, seek higher ground to avoid the possibility of flooding.
‘During heavy rains, remove all outdoor items from your home that could be swept away by the water. If part of your house floods, leave basements and ground floors and turn off the power.
‘Outdoors, during heavy rain or a storm, avoid parking your vehicle or wading through streams or channels to avoid being swept away by a sudden rise in water. Therefore, stay away from gullies, rivers, or torrents to avoid being caught in a flash flood.
‘Road travel should be avoided and, if necessary, be aware of the weather conditions in the area you are traveling to and take extreme precautions due to the possible presence of obstacles on the road.
‘Finally, we remind you that in case of emergency, you should call 112. We also encourage all citizens to use this number wisely.’
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