Storm Leonardo Brings Death, Evacuations to Iberian Peninsula
Storm Leonardo is causing widespread disruption and devastation across Spain and Portugal, resulting in at least one confirmed death and the evacuation of thousands of residents. The storm, the seventh to impact the Iberian Peninsula this year, has unleashed torrential rainfall, leading to severe flooding and infrastructure damage.
The region most heavily impacted is Andalusia, Spain, where the risk of flooding has prompted the precautionary evacuation of over four thousand people, according to local civil protection authorities. A woman has been reported missing in the Málaga area since Wednesday after being swept away by floodwaters.
Juanma Moreno, the president of the Junta of Andalusia, described the situation as “quite difficult” and “never seen before.” He urged residents to exercise “maximum prudence,” noting that the ground is “absolutely saturated” and unable to absorb any further rainfall. “The level of rivers and streams is above the maximum level in many locations in the province of Cádiz and the rest of Andalusia,” Moreno stated, adding that some reservoirs are “practically at 100%” capacity.
Authorities are being forced to release water from reservoirs, a measure that Moreno acknowledged will unfortunately lead to further flooding, particularly in the city of Jerez. Fifteen municipalities in Andalusia are currently isolated, and 87 roads are either closed or experiencing significant disruptions due to flooding and heavy rain. Railway connections throughout the region are also affected.
Emergency services have responded to more than 3,255 incidents related to Storm Leonardo. The situation is also concerning in other parts of Spain, including Extremadura, which borders Portugal.
The Confederación Hidrográfica del Tajo, responsible for managing several rivers including the Tagus, has issued “red hydrological alerts” for 20 monitoring stations, indicating a high risk of overflow and flooding. Fifteen of these stations are located in the Cáceres region of Extremadura.
Nine reservoirs across various rivers were at red alert and releasing water as of 6:00 PM local time on Thursday, February 5, 2026, due to accumulated water levels in recent days. Seven of these reservoirs are in Extremadura, including the Cedillo reservoir, situated on the border with Portugal at the confluence of the Sever and Tagus rivers. This reservoir was discharging 6,348.55 cubic meters of water per second, the highest discharge rate among all reservoirs managed by the Confederación Hidrográfica del Tajo.
In Portugal, twelve people have died in the past week as a result of Storms Kristin and Leonardo, with hundreds more injured and displaced. The storms have caused widespread damage to homes, businesses, infrastructure, and have disrupted transportation, energy, water, and communication services.
The Centro, Lisbon and Vale do Tejo, and Alentejo regions of Portugal have been the most severely affected. The Portuguese government has declared a state of calamity until Sunday for 68 municipalities and announced a support package worth up to 2.5 billion euros.
Authorities are also issuing Indoor Air Quality Alerts due to the flooding caused by Storm Leonardo.
