In the quiet hours before dawn, when the sea seems to lull the shore into gentle sleep, an unseen wind can already be gathering strength far out over Atlantic waters. Like a slow-moving tide of air, Storm Leonardo crept across the horizon, its dark breast pushing waves of rain and wind toward the Iberian Peninsula. In its wake, rivers have swelled and the earth, waterlogged and weary from weeks of unsettled weather, has yielded to a tumult far beyond everyday whispers of weather.
For many in southern Spain and Portugal, this was no longer just a story told on the radio or whispered at kitchen tables. The skies opened with a kind of force seldom seen, dropping torrents that overwhelmed riverbanks and rushed through streets long nurtured by calmer seasons. In Andalusia, entire neighbourhoods watched the Guadalquivir and other rivers rise like memories long held in reserve, erasing familiar paths and prompting quiet urgency among neighbours. In towns from Córdoba to Málaga, the decision to leave one’s home was taken with weighted steps and hopeful glances cast toward gathering clouds.
By mid-week, authorities reported that more than 11,000 residents had been evacuated, guided by emergency personnel through rising waters and shuttered roads toward temporary shelter. In Portugal’s Alentejo region, a man in his seventies lost his life when a swollen river swept his vehicle away, a stark reminder of nature’s capricious power. In Málaga province, search teams found the body of a woman who had been swept off her feet while attempting to rescue her dog — a moment that underscored both compassion and peril in equal measure.
Communities accustomed to fiery summers and tranquil winters found themselves wrestling with circumstances that seemed to arrive like an unbidden tide. Schools closed, trains were halted, and transportation routes once reliable became impassable lanes of rushing water. Emergency crews — firefighters, police units, and civil protection teams — worked through the dawn and dusk to erect barriers, guide evacuations, and lend whatever calm footing they could in flooded towns.
While Leonardo’s fiercest winds have eased in some quarters, meteorologists warn that another storm, named Marta, is poised to follow, promising further rain to already saturated land. There is a collective breath held across the region, a quiet hope that the earth will offer a moment’s respite before the next chapter of this winter’s weather unfolds.
As families wait in temporary shelters, sharing hopes for clearer skies and safe returns, the landscapes of Andalusia and Portugal’s river plains remain etched with the storm’s passing — still waters and still hearts, measured against the unfolding horizon ahead.
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SOURCES (Credible Mainstream Media)
1. Sky News 2. Reuters 3. The Guardian 4. AP News 5. Hindustan Times