Storms Leonardo and Marta subside in Andalucía: river levels and schools update

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Thousands return to homes in Cádiz, Córdoba, and Málaga as authorities assess the aftermath of more than 10,000 emergency incidents

José Luis Piedra

Monday, 9 February 2026, 11:11

Storms Leonardo and Marta have eased their grip on Andalucía after a week of relentless and intense rainfall, which led to the preventive evacuation of 11,000 people.

The improvement in weather conditions has allowed the gradual return of evacuees to their homes and the stabilisation of river flows and the dam network.

According to the confederation of the Guadalquivir river (CHG), even the state of the biggest water basin in Andalucía is slowly improving, with an expected decrease in its flow throughout Monday. Despite the optimistic forecast, the Guadalquivir remains under a red alert at all points of its passage through the region.

Reservoirs have time to recover their safety thresholds before the new rains in the coming days.

Stabilisation is allowing the return of the more than 11,000 people who have had to leave their homes so far. Even with the return of the 724 evacuees in Cordoba's flood zones, the number remains above 9,000.

Other people who can return home are the 660 residents of Doña Blanca (Cadiz) thanks to the improvement in the water level of the Guadalete. A further 177 residents of the town of Dúdar (Granada) have also returned to their homes, as have 180 people from the town of El Secadero (Malaga) and San Martín del Tesorillo (Cadiz).

The two successive storms have so far recorded a total of 10,613 incidents, with the province of Cadiz accounting for most of them (2,215), followed by Seville (1,893), Jaén (1,818), Granada (1,441), Malaga (1,066), Cordoba (1,009), Almeria (690) and Huelva (481).

Schools are also reopening on Monday in most of Andalucía, with the exception of a couple of municipalities in Malaga province and five in Cadiz, amounting to a total of 96 schools that remain closed. Road closures, infrastructure damage and flood risks still pose a challenge to transport and safety in some areas.

On Sunday, regional minister of emergencies Antonio Sanz said that the damage Andalucía is facing in the aftermath of the storm is "brutal", with special emphasis on the "destruction of roads and homes" - the regional government's main concern.

Spain's First Deputy PM María Jesús Montero also stated that the governmental bodies responsible for handling such damages will "do their best". During her visit in Villafranca (Cordoba), she said that "each institution should evaluate and prioritise everything it has within its remit so that affected families can recover as soon as possible and damaged infrastructure be repaired".