- Hail the size of a golf ball hit the city of Almería in southern Spain
- In just 12 hours, 100 mm of rain fell at its most intense, causing flash floods.
Cars have been destroyed by giant golf ball-sized hail that fell from the sky when a violent storm passed over the Spanish city of Almeria last night.
The fierce hailstorm wreaked havoc as it passed through the southern Spanish city, which also suffered flooding due to unexpected rains.
Photos and videos shared on social media showed large hailstones damaging car windshields and windows, leaving serious dents and chips in the metal and paint.
Other videos and images showed the aftermath of the storm, with one showing nearly a dozen large holes in the rear window of an Almeria resident’s car.
In addition to the hail, the city was flooded and 100 mm of rain fell in 12 hours. At its heaviest, 30 mm of rain fell in a single hour.
Hail the size of a golf ball fell from the sky of Almería
The hail was accompanied by heavy rain that left the city flooded
The size and severity of the hailstorm was a result of storm clouds that have been lashing the region for days.
Yesterday Dólar, in Granada, was flooded with 148 mm of rain, while Caravaca de la Cruz, in Murcia, received 104 mm and Carcaixent, in Valencia, received 85.8 mm.
It comes just months after British tourists hoping to leave the rain behind and head to Spain were met with torrential downpours, hail, strong winds and flash flooding.
Images from the Costa Blanca showed submerged streets, overflowing rivers and water rushing across dry fields before crashing onto roads in June.
Hail fell in some parts of the Valencian Community, which includes the provinces of Alicante and Valencia.
Huge hail damaged cars throughout the city
The rear windows were shattered by hail.
The streets of Almería were flooded after heavy rains
The sheet metal of the cars was dented
The extent of the damage to the city is currently unknown.
Further south, in Murcia, the roads became raging torrents. In its capital, locals and tourists were photographed in ankle-deep water on its main street as they tried to make their way through shops while others took shelter inside.
In other parts of the province, cars and wheeled containers were seen “swimming” through streets that looked more like rivers. Firefighters were said to be “working tirelessly” with roads closed in some places.
By contrast, British tourists on the Costa del Sol were enjoying splendid sunshine today.
In Marbella, tourists sunbathed under blue skies with temperatures of 26 degrees Celsius (78 degrees Fahrenheit).
It was a welcome break for those who had just arrived from the UK.
Office worker Sally Jones, 26, said: “I desperately needed the sun. The weather has been very gloomy at home.
“I have friends who are on the Costa Blanca right now and they say that they would have liked to come on vacation with me.”