Granada's Costa Tropical escapes the worst of Storm Leonardo despite road cuts and battering rain

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Six households were urged to leave their homes in Vélez de Benaudalla as dam releases caused the River Guadalfeo to swell, but towns across the coastal region avoided 'serious' damage despite orange alerts

MJ Arrebola

Granada

Thursday, 5 February 2026, 12:32

Storm Leonardo, which kept Granada's Costa Tropical on orange alert for heavy rain and coastal phenomena on Wednesday 4 February, passed without causing any "serious" incidents.

While most of the region escaped major destruction, the most significant disruption occurred in Vélez de Benaudalla. Local police closed the Rufino bridge and the Barranco de las Viñas area after water was released from the Rules dam on Wednesday night.

Mayor Francisco Gutiérrez confirmed that six households in the immediate flood zone were asked to evacuate as a precautionary measure as the River Guadalfeo rose

Town halls had activated extensive preventive measures along the coast, but in the end the situation remained "under control".

In Motril the town hall activated a special monitoring and prevention plan from the early hours of the morning. During the early hours of Tuesday morning, when heavy rainfall was expected, an extensive emergency operation was deployed but no incidents or emergency calls were recorded.

The accesses to the Rambla de las Brujas and the Camino del Pelaíllo were closed as a precautionary measure, but hours later they were reopened to traffic, while waterways in Calahonda, Carchuna and Motril were supervised and machines worked to ensure correct drainage.

The beach areas were also closed to traffic due to the heavy swell and sandbags were put in place to prevent seawater from entering Los Moriscos restaurant.

Falling trees

In Almuñécar-La Herradura there were reports of falling trees in the Cuesta del Manchante and Cotobro areas, due to waterlogged soil. There were also reports of minor landslides on some rural roads, which were cleared promptly. A large tree fell on Paseo Blas Infante with no personal injury or material damage.

The Olamar building, on Paseo Andrés Segovia and close to the mouth of the River Jate was once again flooded due to the heavy rainfall. Mayor of the town, Juanjo Ruiz Joya, explained that the westerly wind and the sea generated "some very slight and occasional problems" in specific locations including the Peña Parda in La Herradura, but he said that no "significant" damage was caused.

A fallen almond tree cut off the road in Haza del Trigo de Polopos at the connection with the A-7 and N-340. According to the local mayor, Matías González, municipal workers acted quickly to remove it from the road.

Water released from Rules dam

In Salobreña, mayor Javier Ortega Prados said that the impact of Storm Leonardo was much less than expected. The town hall tried to minimise the damage by blocking the main accesses to La Guardia with sandbags, a measure that "worked". Preventive measures including the cleaning of gutters and waterways were also "effective", he said.

Although no agricultural or beach damage has been recorded after Storm Leonardo, the town hall has already begun the process of applying for aid and assessing the effects of other recent storms.