Moment freak thunderstorm batters Spain - seeing tourists run for cover as streets turn to rivers

Published: 21:51, 20 August 2026 | Updated: 21:57, 20 August 2026 Video footage shows a popular Spanish holiday destination being battered by thunderstorms - leaving tourists scrambling for cover and waiters chasing after chairs flowing downstream.  Valencia, on Spain's east coast, was put under an orange alert on Thursday less than 24 hours after temperatures soared to 44C. It is thought that the period of intense heat -  driven by a patch of high pressure from the Mediterranean - clashed with a low pressure mass from the Atlantic to spark extreme conditions.  Footage shared to social media today showed the people of Valencia desperately trying to cope with torrential rain and gale force winds. In one shocking clip, restaurant workers could be seen trying to retrieve clusters of wooden chairs flowing down a street which had effectively become a river.  Another, meanwhile, showed a huge tree tumbling to the ground as wind speeds exceeded 49mph in the tourist destination.  And, in more footage, locals struggling to stand could be seen scrambling for cover as hailstones battered Valencia.  It came as much of Spain's east coast was hit by heavy rain, with Alicante, Castellon, Barcelona, the Balearic Islands and Aragon placed under warnings. Spaniards were left scrambling for cover on Thursday after torrential rain battered Valencia Roads turned into rivers, leaving waiters sprinting to retrieve chairs and tables which had been washed away downstream The Valencia City Council announced the closure of all the city's parks, gardens and cemeteries for a temporary period The city was placed under an orange weather warning just hours after temperatures soared to as hot as 44C Valencia was thought to have been one of the most seriously affected cities, according to Spanish reports, as trees were knocked down and structures suffered damage.  The Valencia City Council announced the immediate closure of all the city's parks, gardens and cemeteries, while special food markets and certain outdoor activities were temporarily suspended.  But, in a turn of events which made Thursday's extreme conditions even more shocking, it was only hours earlier that the Valencian community endured its hottest night on record.  Temperatures did not fall below 30C in many areas of the southeastern Spanish coast on Wednesday night.  In Denia, a city around 60 miles south of Valencia, overnight heats soared to a peak of 39C. In a statement released Thursday morning, the Valencian Association of Meteorology said: 'We have experienced the hottest night since records started in most towns in the Valencian Community.' The entirety of Spain has indeed grappled with extreme weather conditions throughout this summer.  Earlier this week, two women lost their lives in the rural village of Manzanedo de Valdueza after 'fierce storms in the hills triggered a large flow of stones, mud and sludge', a local mayor said.  Pictures from the scene showed how stones and mud had washed through the village, which is surrounded by mountainous and forested terrain.  A woman in her 60s and another in her 80s lost their lives, while two babies were treated for injuries.  The rain, which hit northern Spain on Sunday, also caused damage in Bouzas, a village neighbouring Manzanedo de Valdueza.  The country has also had to contend with some of the most serious wildfires in its history this summer. The Almeria fire which ripped through the province of Andalusia in July claimed the lives of 13 people, including a British mother. Lisa Fryett passed away after being found in critical condition on a mountainside near Bedar, where she had been staying with her partner on holiday. The wildfire was Spain's third deadliest ever and claimed the lives of another four Brits, who were found dead in a burnt-out car while trying to flee. A 93-year-old British woman caught up in the blaze also died of her injuries in hospital three days later.