Storm Leonardo has driven heavy rain and strong winds across Spain and Portugal, prompting mass evacuations and flooding. Over 7,000 people were evacuated in Andalusia and about 1,500 in Grazalema amid fears of landslides after aquifers and soils became saturated. Portugal extended a state of calamity in 69 municipalities, and authorities warned that Storm Marta could bring more heavy rain.
Storm Leonardo Triggers Mass Evacuations in Spain and Portugal as More Heavy Rain Looms
A man walks as water flows down stairs in a street, due to heavy rains, as storm Leonardo hits parts of Spain, in Benaojan, Spain, February 6, 2026. REUTERS/Jon Nazca
GRAZALEMA, Spain / ALCACER DO SAL, Portugal — Storm Leonardo has unleashed torrential rain and strong winds across the Iberian Peninsula, forcing thousands to flee their homes and prompting warnings of further flooding and dangerous landslides as another storm approaches.
More than 7,000 people have been evacuated in Andalusia after a "storm train" of successive weather fronts battered Portugal and Spain over recent weeks. In Malaga province, military police reported that a body was recovered about 1,000 metres from where a woman was swept away while attempting to rescue her dog; forensic tests are pending to confirm her identity.
Paul Rolf, 53, artist, holds hoses as he removes water from inside his house due to heavy rains, as storm Leonardo hits parts of Spain, in Benaojan, Spain, February 6, 2026. REUTERS/Jon Nazca
Storms, Flooding and Local Impacts
Spain's state weather service AEMET warned that a new system, named Storm Marta, was expected to reach the peninsula on Saturday and bring additional heavy rainfall. Several neighbourhoods along the Guadalquivir River in Córdoba province were evacuated overnight after river levels surged, and city authorities closed pedestrian access to Córdoba's Roman bridge as water rose.
Regional leaders said further rain could put more homes at risk, with the areas around Jaén and the Guadalquivir basin in Córdoba described as particularly vulnerable. "We expect 30 mm of rain. Under normal conditions that would be little, but right now it is a lot because the soil cannot drain and rivers and reservoirs are full," Andalusia's regional president Juan Manuel Moreno said.
Artists, Paul Rolf, 53, and his wife Emma, 63, remove water from inside their house, due to heavy rains, as storm Leonardo hits parts of Spain, in Benaojan, Spain, February 6, 2026. REUTERS/Jon Nazca
Landslide Risk In Grazalema Mountains
Grazalema, a mountain village popular with hikers and at the centre of the most intense impacts, saw roughly 1,500 residents evacuated after water seeped through house walls and surged down steep cobbled streets. Authorities warned that saturated aquifers and pent-up groundwater pressure could trigger landslides and ground subsidence.
"It's possible these cavities will widen and eventually make the ground subside, which would clearly affect any house or road above," said Nahum Mendez-Chazarra, a geology professor at Valencia University, explaining that the Grazalema massif is composed of permeable rock that can dissolve when it absorbs large volumes of water.
Portugal Extends State Of Calamity
In southern Portugal, large parts of the riverside town of Alcácer do Sal remained partially submerged for a third day. Resident Rita Morgado described losing nearly everything: "I'm left with nothing, nothing. I only kept the clothes I had on." Local officials said more than 1,000 people required assistance.
A rainbow appears over mountains during heavy rains, as storm Leonardo hits parts of Spain, in Benaojan, Spain, February 6, 2026. REUTERS/Jon Nazca
Prime Minister Luis Montenegro announced his government had extended a state of calamity in 69 municipalities until mid-February, citing "unprecedented" rainfall and elevated flood risks. Portugal's civil protection commander, Mario Silvestre, said six rivers — including the Tagus — are at risk of significant flooding; the Tagus basin was placed on red alert after a sudden rise in water flow.
What To Expect Next
Meteorological agencies urged residents in vulnerable areas to follow local evacuation orders and stay away from rivers and flood-prone roads. Authorities continue emergency operations, monitoring reservoirs, river flows and slope stability while preparing for Storm Marta's arrival.
($1 = 0.8482 euros)
Reporting by Paolo Laudani, Emma Pinedo, Sergio Goncalves and Andrei Khalip; Writing by David Latona; Editing by Peter Graff, Toby Chopra and Charlie Devereux.
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