Deadly Storms Batter Morocco And Southern Europe As EU Warns Of Growing Climate Risks

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

RABAT/LISBON/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Authorities across North Africa and southern Europe remained on high alert Monday after powerful storms killed numerous people and forced the evacuation of more than 160,000 residents.

Flash floods caused by Storm Marta in northern Morocco killed at least four people as days of heavy rain and water releases from overfilled dams inundated towns and rural areas, officials said.

Three children — a girl and two boys aged between 2 and 14 — and a man in his 30s died when their vehicle was swept away near Tétouan, about 270 kilometers (168 miles) north of the capital Rabat, according to Morocco’s Interior Ministry. Another person remains missing.

Meteorological officials said Storm Marta dumped up to 92 millimeters (3.6 inches) of rain in some northern cities. Days earlier, Storm Leonardo had already struck northern Africa and the Iberian Peninsula, swelling rivers, damaging homes and crops, and prompting the evacuation of more than 150,000 people in Morocco alone.

PORTUGAL AND SPAIN REPORT FATALITIES

In Portugal, severe storms and flooding have killed at least seven people in recent days, authorities said, as swollen rivers, landslides, and high winds battered several regions.

The extreme weather also overshadowed the country’s recent presidential runoff election. Voting was postponed for roughly 32,000 people in at least 14 constituencies due to flood damage and safety concerns, though polling proceeded nationwide.

In neighboring Spain, at least two storm-related deaths have been confirmed following flooding linked to the same weather systems. Authorities reported that floodwaters in southern Spain swept away a woman, with her body later recovered.

In southern Spain’s Andalusia region alone, about 7,000 residents were evacuated, part of more than 11,000 people displaced across Spain and Portugal as flooding overwhelmed towns and transport networks.

Leonardo was the latest in a wave of winter storms that have battered parts of Portugal and Spain since the start of 2026, ripping roofs from homes, flooding towns, and prompting repeated emergency alerts.

EU HIGHLIGHTS CLIMATE AND URBANIZATION FACTORS

The European Union’s climate commissioner has warned that extreme weather patterns linked to climate change are increasing the frequency and severity of natural disasters across the continent, including even wildfires.

EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra announced over the weekend the creation of a continent-wide “rapid reaction force” of 300 firefighters drawn from across the 27-member bloc. The unit is designed to be swiftly deployed to areas facing major wildfires and other “climate-related emergencies.”

The move follows what European officials described as one of the bloc’s worst wildfire seasons in 2025, which they said killed at least 20 people. An EU-backed study concluded that climate change intensified the severity of those fires.

However, some experts argue that rapid urbanization, construction in flood-prone areas, land management challenges, and inadequate drainage infrastructure have also played significant roles in amplifying the impacts of both wildfires and floods.

Civil protection agencies across southern Europe remain on high alert as forecasts call for additional rainfall in the coming days, raising concerns about further flooding and displacement.

Meteorologists say persistent Atlantic low-pressure systems have fueled repeated storms this season, testing flood defenses and emergency preparedness across Europe and North Africa.

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