5 Feb 2026 - Flooding after Sado River overflow following heavy rain - Alcacer do Sal Setubal District Portugal

Parts of southern Spain and Portugal were facing severe disruption on Thursday due to torrential rainfall, floods and landslides brought by Storm Leonardo. Leonardo is the seventh storm to hit the Iberian Peninsula this year. Last week, five people died, hundreds were injured and tens of thousands were left without electricity in Portugal. Rising global temperatures due to human-driven climate change mean floods and other extreme weather events in Europe are becoming more frequent, more intense and longer, scientists say. Spain's eastern Valencia region saw the worst flashfloods in the country's recent history in October 2024, when 237 people were killed.