A sudden downpour transformed a street in Benidorm into a flowing river as heavy rain poured down on tourists around 3pm on a recent Tuesday, surprising many visitors who had been enjoying sunny weather for months. Footage captured during the event showed a man playfully pretending to swim through the rain, while another clip featured a police car maneuvering a large green bin back to its original spot after it had floated away.
Andy Forrest, a 58-year-old retail manager from North Shields vacationing in Benidorm with his wife, described the scene as chaotic and unbelievable. He recounted witnessing the street quickly fill with water, causing objects to float by, including a large bin. The dramatic weather shift from torrential rain one day to scorching heat the next left him amazed.
Barbu Cornel, also known as Gogo and the owner of Benidorm’s White Horse pub, captured the moment when the police car intervened to return the displaced bin. He mentioned that the heavy rain lasted for about an hour before the sunshine returned, allowing the pub’s customers to enjoy the unusual spectacle.
Teo Bordis, a 47-year-old employee at a nearby pub, filmed a friend jokingly swimming down the flooded street as astonished onlookers watched from inside. She noted that customers were fascinated by the sudden deluge after months of dry weather.
Similar extreme weather conditions affected other parts of Spain, including the Balearic region, where the government activated an emergency response due to intense rain and strong winds reaching up to 62mph. Majorca experienced rapid rainfall, with reports of over 22 liters per square meter in just 10 minutes and 34 liters within an hour, leading to severe flooding and damage to property.
Motorists in affected areas were urged to seek higher ground as flooding and fallen trees disrupted normal traffic flow. The inclement weather also caused significant delays at Palma Airport. Additionally, forecasts warned of continued heavy rainfall in various regions across the north-central Mediterranean, with potential tornadoes along Italy’s western coast.
In Tuscany, severe flooding left cars submerged and forced some residents to seek refuge on rooftops to escape rising waters. Particularly hard-hit areas like Avenza, Marina, and Fossone experienced flooding in basements and ground floors, causing pavement upheaval in some locations.