Madrid residents told to stay indoors as Spanish capital braces for torrential rain

Residents in Madrid were instructed by city authorities to stay indoors Sunday with Storm Dana set to lash the Spanish capital.

The state meteorological agency, AEMET, issued a warning for Madrid, Toledo and Cadiz, where Dana is expected to bring strong rains.

According to AEMET, up to 120 liters per square meter of rain could fall over Madrid in 12 hours.

Valencia, on the Mediterrenean coast, has seen intense rainfall already, AEMAT said.

Madrid’s mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida advised residents to stay in their houses, calling what was to come an “exceptional situation.”

“Due to the exceptional and abnormal situation, in which rainfall records will be broken, I ask the people of Madrid to stay at home today,” Martinez-Almeida wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Madrid’s emergency services sent texts to residents warning them of flood risks and advising them against using vehicles.

Atletico Madrid wrote on X that Sunday’s LaLiga football match against Sevilla had also been postponed due to the storm.