Storm Emilia leaves hailstorms in the interior of Malaga province, followed by more rain this week

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The province was once again under a heavy rainfall warning in the early hours of Monday morning, due to forecasts pointing to accumulations of up to 15mm in one hour

Ignacio Lillo

Málaga

Monday, 15 December 2025, 10:09

The residents of Alfarnate and Villanueva del Trabuco were surprised by hailstorms early on Sunday afternoon. A thin white blanket covered their streets, as reported on social media by several witnesses.

The hail was brought by storm Emilia, which is currently active in the province, although with much less intensity than in other nearby provinces, such as Almeria, which had an active red alert at the border with Murcia on Sunday. However, the Canary Islands have borne the brunt so far.

In the early hours of Monday morning, 15 December, the Aemet meteorological centre activated a new yellow warning (low risk) for downpours of up to 15mm in an hour, which could occur in parts of the Costa del Sol and the Guadalhorce Valley between midnight and 9am. Heavy downpours were recorded in Malaga city and other parts of the province around 1am.

In addition, rainfall could continue this week, especially on Tuesday and Friday, according to Aemet's current forecast.

The heaviest hyperlocalised rainfall last week was recorded between Thursday and Friday, especially in the area of Cártama and Bajo Guadalhorce. Amateur rain gauges reported up to 125mm in a few hours and people reported floodings.

Storm Emilia hits the province, although with much less intensity than in other nearby areas

In turn, in the neighbourhood El Sexmo and in Cártama Estación, near the Prolongo tunnel, there was serious flooding and at least one driver was trapped inside a large pool of water. Similar was the situation in other areas such as the Coín road, between Alhaurín de la Torre and Churriana.

The Aemet station at Malaga Airport registered 40mm in the early hours of the morning, while the one in Teatinos registered 32mm.

The rains over the weekend were rather scarce and scattered. The wind and the powerful easterly sea storm played the leading role. Nevertheless, the Hidrosur network added another 12mm in the Guadiaro river, almost ten in the Genal and eight in Los Reales. On Sunday, Sierra Bermeja was the rainiest area, with over 5mm, closely followed by Torrox, Aljaima on the Guadalhorce, Casarabonela, Alhaurín el Grande and La Araña, among others.