The heat of recent days in the Basque Country disappeared in one fell swoop yesterday afternoon, when the rainfall announced under an orange alert warning broke out. The intense rains left up to 60 liters of water per square meter in one hour in some points. In Durango, Ermua and Igorre, material damage was also caused by hail and in Eibar, Mutriku and Azkoitia, in Gipuzkoa, flooding was recorded.
The storms lasted until 10:00 p.m., when they subsided. However, Euskalment also announces for today “occasional stormy showers in the morning and near the coast.” Starting at noon, however, “they will become more frequent and will extend inland, and may be locally strong and with hail.”
The storm broke through Bizkaia at 3:00 p.m., leaving up to 45.5 liters of water per square meter in one hour in towns such as Mallabia. The main problems occurred as a result of the impressive hailstorm that fell in some towns, with damage to hundreds of cars, workshops and some homes.
In Bizkaia, there were 13 incidents due to pools of water, due in most cases to burst pipes and overflowing of manholes, according to the Security Department of the Basque Government. A dozen incidents due to sinkholes and landslides and up to 14 incidents related to flooding were also recorded.
As a result of the rainfall, several traffic accidents also occurred, without fatal consequences.
In Gipuzkoa, pools of water occurred in five points of the road network and flooding in a dozen places. The most serious in Azkoitia, Mutriku and Eibar.
