THIS is the frightening moment a tornado hits a Spanish holiday spot as Storm Alice sparks more horror floods and evacuations.
The alarming weather phenomenon was captured tearing through the coastal town – just hours after flooding wreaked havoc in the area.
The tornado, which has sparked mass evacuations, road closures and signal problems, was reported in Cartagena, Murcia earlier today.
Terrifying footage shows the twister below a blanket of thick grey clouds.
Powered by the day’s thunderstorms, it careers through the sky – leaving a trail of devastation.
Some 67 people have been forced to evacuate the area, which has been under red alert since yesterday for raging winds and storms.
The majority of these were holidaymakers in local caravan parks, officials said.
Brits already in these areas or planning travel to the region have been urged to check the foreign office’s travel advice, after an updated alert was issued this morning.
The government website warned: “Severe weather warnings are in place today in Murcia and Valencia, including the province of Alicante.
“Disruptions to travel are likely. If you are in the affected areas, follow the advice of the local authorities and monitor local weather updates.
“If you are planning to travel, check for messaging from your travel provider or airline.”
A red alert was also issued across parts of Spain as officials warned residents to avoid driving as treacherous weather tears through the region.
The weather warning – in place from 10am today until midnight – affects the southern coast of Alicante and in some areas of Murcia, including Campo de Cartagena and Mazarrón.
Torrential showers have already caused chaos in holiday hotspot Ibiza and Cartagena with flash flooding reported across parts of the regions.
Meanwhile, holidaymakers in Villas Caravaning campsite in La Manga, Murcia region, were forced to evacuate following heavy rainfall.
Spain‘s weather forecaster AEMET warned of “extraordinary danger” and urged residents to take extra caution when venturing outside.
Shocking footage shows roads turned into fast-flowing rivers after storms plunged the tarmac underwater.
Alicante’s fire service said they carried out 31 emergency operations over the course of a day – pulling obstacles out of water-logged roads.
And in the Levante region, classes have been put on hold until the storm settles down.
A total of 142 incidents were recorded across Murcia this morning due to the blizzard.
While emergency services received a staggering 161 calls overnight requesting urgent help clearing the floods.
Firefighters, police and other emergency crew remain on high alert after an elderly resident in the Murcian district of Los Dolores suffered minor injuries from a collapsed roof.
Emergency services in holiday hotspot Ibiza are braced for a busy few days as the area was put on orange alert for rain and storms.
The biblical downpours have ravaged the country over the last month.
Just yesterday, authorities warned of “extraordinary danger” as flash floods erupted across Valencia.
Rain is expected to pummel the region with 250 millimetres of water due by Sunday.
It comes just days after the region was placed on red alert as Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez urged locals to follow guidance issued by emergency services in a bid to avoid last year’s devastation.
The horrific 2024 floods caused the deaths of about 232 people and ransacked Valencia’s communities.
Sánchez previously called for locals to take “great caution” in the face of the heavy rains.
He said on X: “Let us follow the instructions of the civil protection agency and the emergency services at all times.”
Last month, heartstopping clips of Tarragona showed broken trees and upturned cars as the brutal water tore through towns.
Video also showed motorists stuck inside their vehicles waiting to be rescued.
Authorities quickly labelled streets “death traps” and urged residents to remain at home as much as possible.
Storm Alice is a DANA – which stands for “Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos,” or “isolated depression at high altitudes”.
The “cold drop” phenomenon occurs when more warm and moist Mediterranean air than usual is sucked high into the atmosphere after a cold system hits the country.
The temperature difference between the cold air aloft and the warm surface air creates instability, leading to rapid uplift of warm, moist air and the formation of intense thunderstorms.
