Storm Charles Floods Spain and Portugal, Disrupts Flights Across Southern Europe

Storm Charles caused widespread flooding in Spain and Portugal and forced large numbers of flights to be cancelled, The Guardian reported. The storm then moved on toward northern Italy, bringing further warnings and more rain across the region.

The storm arrived first in Madeira, the Portuguese island in the Atlantic, on 11 November. It brought heavy rain and strong south-westerly winds, which blow from the south-west. A gust of 84.5 mph (136 km/h) was recorded at Funchal airport, and rainfall totals reached 355 mm in 12 hours.

It then moved toward mainland Portugal and Spain. Lisbon saw 183 flights cancelled on Wednesday, around a third of its normal daily traffic. Madrid Barajas airport had 155 cancellations.

After affecting Spain and Portugal, the storm travelled on a north-easterly track through southern France toward northern Italy. In Cannes, significant flooding caused rock falls and the closure of roads along the French Riviera.

In Italy, the national weather service issued a red rainfall warning, the highest level it uses, for the area from Tuscany to Venice. Forecast models indicated that an additional 100 mm of rain could accumulate widely in Italy and the Balkans, with totals close to 200 mm likely in mountainous areas.