Storm Kristin brings snow, flooding and gridlocked roads to Spain

Spain did not take Wednesday, 28th January lightly. As Storm Kristin moved across the country over night, Spain woke to snow, flooding, closures of roads and power outages.

From Andalucía to Madrid and Extremadura, emergency services have been dealing with the fallout since the early hours, while commuters, parents and drivers face a day of disruption that few will forget quickly.

Andalucía battered overnight, schools closed and evacuations ordered

In Andalucía, the storm has already had tragic consequences. A woman died in Málaga after a palm tree was brought down by strong winds. As a precaution, classes were suspended in 77 municipalities across Almería, Málaga and Cádiz.

In San Roque, Cádiz, rising river levels forced authorities to evacuate around 250 residents from their homes. More than 800 incidents were reported in the entire region before midnight. The majority of them involved flooding, trees that had fallen and storm damage.

Extremadura sends out an emergency alert after winds reach 130 km/h

Extremadura, to the north was also hit. Residents received a mobile emergency alert warning of extreme wind conditions, particularly in parts of Cáceres, where gusts were expected to reach 130 km/h.

Several major roads were rendered impassable. Sections of the A-6 between Madrid, Segovia and Ávila, along with the A-66 in Cáceres, were shut down, leaving hundreds of drivers stranded. Some drivers reported waiting hours for snowploughs to arrive.

Strong winds also caused telephone outages in parts of northern Cáceres, adding to the sense of isolation in affected areas.

Madrid comes to a halt during the morning rush due to snow

The morning commute in Madrid was a mess as snow fell at a low level. On several roads, chains were needed while traffic halted on the A-6 Near Torrelodones, and along the M-30.

It is important to note that the word “you” means “you”. regional government activated its winter emergency planWhile city crews spread the de-icing solutions across districts such as Hortaleza and Moncloa-Aravaca, Fuencarral El Pardo, and Fuencarral.

Public transport was also affected. Cercanías trains suffered delays on several lines, and rail services between Cercedilla and Segovia were suspended due to snow on the tracks.

Wind, ice alerts and more from coast to Coast

Elsewhere, Galicia recorded wind gusts exceeding 112 km/h, while Cantabria woke up to the coldest temperature in the country, with –10.7°C measured overnight in the Picos de Europa.

According to Spain’s weather agency, every region in the country remains under some form of alert today – whether for snow, rain, wind or rough seas — making Kristin the sixth major storm to hit Spain this month.

Meteorologists say that despite comparisons made online, this isn’t another Filomena. Still, authorities continue urging caution, since conditions are expected to be unstable throughout the entire day.

For many across Spain, it’s a day to slow down, stay informed – and think twice before heading out.