Storm Adam Floods Eastern Spain, Killing Two as Helicopters Lift Residents From Rooftops

Helicopters lifted people from rooftops in eastern Spain on Monday as torrential rain from Storm Adam flooded towns along the Mediterranean coast, killed at least two people and brought shelter in place orders for more than 800,000 residents, Reuters reported.

The storm cut off several towns as rivers burst their banks and streets turned into torrents. The scenes recalled the flooding that killed more than 230 people in the Valencia region two years ago, Reuters said.

Two women found dead over the weekend

Local officials said the bodies of two women who had drowned were found over the weekend. One body washed up on a beach in Sagunto, in Valencia province. The other woman died after she was swept away by floodwater in Cabrera de Mar, near Barcelona, Reuters reported.

Anadolu Agency reported that one woman died on Sunday night after she went into the sea at a beach in Sagunto, and that the second woman was found in the sea near Barcelona, about 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) from where she disappeared on Saturday after being swept away by a flooded stream in Cabrera de Mar.

Towns cut off between Gandia and Oliva

At least six towns along the coast between Gandia and Oliva were cut off by the flooding, government representative Pilar Bernabe said, according to Anadolu. In Forna, 718 litres of rain per square metre fell in just over 24 hours.

Valencia regional emergency minister Juan Carlos Valderrama said a coastal storm was making the flooding worse, with waves reaching 4 metres (13 feet) that stopped swollen rivers from draining into the Mediterranean, Anadolu reported.

In Pego, mayor Enrique Moll told regional radio station A Punt that several people were still waiting on rooftops to be lifted out by helicopter. Every access route into the town was blocked, and even heavy military vehicles could not get through in some places, Reuters reported.

In Oliva, deputy mayor Salvador Llopis told state broadcaster TVE that rescue teams were pulling trapped residents from their homes, among them older people standing in water up to their waists. "They have to stay on top of tables and furniture to avoid getting wet," he said. Llopis said the rain had started to ease after causing heavy damage to infrastructure, Reuters reported.

Record rain since 1987

The national weather agency AEMET called conditions "extremely adverse." Rainfall in some areas passed 600 millimetres (24 inches) in 48 hours, the most recorded since 1987. AEMET issued red alerts and told people to avoid all travel and move to higher ground, Reuters reported.

More than 100,000 students in Valencia had classes suspended because of the alerts. The central government sent military emergency units and national police to help, Reuters reported. Troops from the Military Emergencies Unit left their base in Betera for Oliva on Monday morning, the Defence Ministry said.

Adam is a cut off low pressure system known in Spain as a DANA. It forms when a pocket of cold air sits high in the atmosphere and meets warm, moist air from the Mediterranean, which can set off violent thunderstorms. AEMET named Adam on Oct. 16, making it the first high impact DANA of the 2026-27 season, The Sun reported.

The Sun reported that conditions should start to improve on Tuesday, Oct. 20, though more downpours are forecast first. The storm also threatens southern France, where five departments are under orange warnings.

Meteorologists say human driven climate change makes such extreme events more frequent and destructive, Reuters reported.