Storm Marta Brings Further Devastation to Iberian Peninsula, Claims Lives in Portugal and Spain
The Iberian Peninsula is grappling with the aftermath of Storm Marta, the third major storm to hit Spain and Portugal in recent weeks. The extreme weather has caused widespread flooding, infrastructure damage, and significant agricultural losses, prompting emergency responses and, tragically, claiming lives.
On Sunday, February 8, 2026, a rescuer died in Portugal while responding to the storm’s impact, according to reports from Euronews. This follows a death in Spain on Saturday, February 7, 2026, where a snowplow driver was killed after falling from a slope while clearing roads.
Both Portugal and Spain issued warnings about potential fresh floods after previous inundations blocked hundreds of roads, disrupted train services, and forced thousands to evacuate. More than 26,500 rescuers have been deployed in Portugal, where the weather has led to the postponement of Sunday’s presidential vote in three municipalities, pushing the election to next week.
The situation is particularly dire for farmers across both countries. Farmers in Spain are reporting “catastrophic” crop damage, with fields submerged and millions of euros worth of losses already tallied. Torrential rains and high winds have inundated vast areas of farmland, impacting crops like broccoli, carrots, and cauliflowers. “It’s raining without stopping. Thousands of hectares inundated. We have a real natural catastrophe,” Miguel Angel Perez, of the farmers organisation COAG in Andalusia’s Cadiz province, told Spanish television TVE on Saturday.
Preliminary estimates from Portugal’s agriculture ministry, released on Friday, February 6, 2026, put agricultural and forestry losses at around 750 million euros ($890 million) due to the recent storms. This figure is expected to rise as the full extent of the damage from Storm Marta becomes clear.
The storms have also severely impacted infrastructure. Nearly 170 roads are closed across Spain, and rail services in Portugal have been disrupted. In Alcácer do Sal, southern Portugal, parts of the city were submerged after the Sado River overflowed, forcing residents to evacuate. Similar scenes are unfolding in Cordoba, Spain, where the Guadalquivir River has flooded its banks.
Authorities in Spain issued an orange weather warning – the second highest level after red – as Storm Marta brought snow, hazardous coastal conditions, and further rainfall. The top-flight soccer match between Sevilla and Girona was postponed due to the severe weather, following a request from the Andalusian club.
Storm Marta follows closely on the heels of Storms Kristin and Leonardo, which have already caused significant disruption and loss of life. Storm Kristin resulted in five deaths, hundreds of injuries, and left tens of thousands without power in Portugal. Storm Leonardo led to one death and the evacuation of 1,100 people across the country.
Mario Silvestre, commander in Portugal’s civil protection agency, warned that the forecast remains “extremely worrying,” with gusts of wind potentially reaching 110 kilometres per hour as Storm Marta makes landfall, along with the risk of landslides and flash floods. The Iberian Peninsula continues to struggle with the effects of prolonged heavy rainfall and the cascading impacts of these successive storms.
Agricultural communities are facing not only immediate crop losses but also long-term concerns about soil erosion, root rot, and reduced productivity. Farmers are appealing for government assistance to recover from what many are describing as the worst damage they have seen in decades. The situation threatens the livelihoods of smaller producers and family-run farms, particularly those with limited financial resources.
