Torrential rain transformed a street in Benidorm into a flowing river, surprising tourists who witnessed the sudden downpour around 3 pm on Tuesday after a prolonged period of sunny weather. Footage captured by Mirror revealed a man playfully mimicking swimming in the rain, while another clip captured a police car nudging a large green bin back to its original spot after it had drifted away.
Andy Forrest, a 58-year-old retail manager from North Shields vacationing in Benidorm with his wife, described the scene as chaotic and unbelievable. He recounted how dark clouds quickly unleashed a deluge, turning the street into a waterway, with objects like the bin floating by, leaving him momentarily perplexed.
The abrupt weather shift amazed Andy, who remarked on the stark difference the following day, where scorching temperatures replaced the prior day’s heavy rain. Barbu Cornel, known as Gogo and owner of Benidorm’s White Horse pub, captured the moment when the police car rescued the wandering bin and noted that the rain lasted for about an hour, followed by sunshine just ten minutes later.
Inside Gogo’s pub, customers enjoyed the spectacle, laughing and reveling in the unusual weather event. Teo Bordis, a 47-year-old pub worker at Plaza Vincents, recorded a friend pretending to swim through the rain, with patrons stunned by the sudden influx of water after months of dry weather.
Similar extreme weather conditions were experienced in various parts of Spain, including the Balearic region, where the government activated an emergency response due to heavy rain and strong winds reaching up to 62mph. Majorca saw rapid rainfall rates, with over 22 liters per square meter in just 10 minutes and 34 liters in an hour, causing flooding, fallen trees, and damage to vehicles and boats.
Motorists were urged to seek higher ground, abandon vehicles, charge mobile phones, and ensure sufficient fuel. Palma Airport faced significant delays due to the adverse weather conditions. Meanwhile, in other European regions, Severe Weather Europe issued warnings of exceptionally heavy rainfall in the north-central Mediterranean and potential tornadoes along Italy’s western coasts.
Tuscany, among the affected areas, witnessed submerged cars, flooded underpasses, and residents seeking refuge on rooftops to escape rising waters. Avenza, Marina, and Fossone were particularly hit hard, with basements and ground floors inundated, causing pavements to lift in some locations.