Spain weather warning for Irish holidaymakers as Storm Alice drenches country
Irish holidaymakers planning autumn breaks to Spain in the coming days are being urged to prepare for severe weather as the country's first named storm of the season hits. Storm Alice has officially been christened by Spain's meteorological agency AEMET, which has issued a raft of Status Yellow and Status Orange weather alerts across much of the country's eastern coastline and Balearic Islands - including several resorts that are a big hit with Irish tourists. The storm, which started brewing late on Wednesday, is set to bring downpours, thunderstorms and the threat of flash floods, with weather experts warning that the poor conditions could persist well into next week. AEMET stated: "Very heavy and persistent rainfall affecting mainly the eastern third of the peninsula and the Balearic Islands from the late hours of Wednesday and probably until Monday the 13th. "The area with the greatest accumulations throughout the episode will be around Cabo de la Nao, particularly the coastal and pre-coastal areas of Valencia and Alicante, where rainfall could be locally torrential, over 60 millimetres per hour. Showers may result in local flash flooding in low-lying areas, streams and gullies, so the potential danger level of this situation is high.", reports the Irish Mirror. The first bands of rain are anticipated to sweep across eastern Spain on Wednesday night, intensifying as the week draws to a close. AEMET has forecasted that the heaviest downpours and most potent winds will likely occur on Friday and Saturday, with "accumulated rainfall exceeding 140 millimetres in 12 hours" in parts of Valencia, Alicante and Murcia. The weather agency has issued a warning that "slow-moving, regenerating showers" could result in flash flooding in low-lying areas, and that winds from the northeast will intensify along coastal regions. AEMET has also stated that there is "high uncertainty" regarding the exact trajectory and intensity of Storm Alice, and conditions could shift rapidly depending on how the storm interacts with surface winds. While the storm is not predicted to significantly affect western Spain or the Canary Islands, Irish holidaymakers travelling to eastern Spain and the Mediterranean coast are being advised to keep an eye on local forecasts and heed official advice. In other news, optimism is growing that Ireland might bask in an 'Indian summer' in the upcoming days, with Met Eireann issuing a surprising forecast of "mostly settled and largely dry" conditions.