Spain's weather agency warns of heavy rain, storms and hail in Madrid in the coming hours

Aemet, Spain's weather agency, has warned of an episode of heavy, persistent rain in Spain between Thursday 1 and Monday 5 October, with a particular impact on the Madrid region. Intense rainfall is expected in Madrid from Thursday and throughout the weekend, with the possibility of thunderstorms and hail.

**Aemet** has issued a special warning as a weather front sweeps the Iberian Peninsula from west to east. The episode of heavy, persistent rain will begin on **Thursday 1** and last until at least Monday 5 October. The agency describes the episode as "potentially adverse". Accumulations could exceed **150 litres per square metre** in less than six hours, which may lead to localised flooding and rising river levels.

The areas most exposed will be the north-east of the peninsula, the Mediterranean coast and the Balearic Islands. The arrival of cold air will also bring lower temperatures to many areas. When a warning like this is issued, sectors that work outdoors and those that depend on transport watch the sky more closely than the till.

## Madrid, intense rain from Thursday

In the **Madrid region**, intense rain is expected from Thursday and throughout the entire weekend. Thursday will be the calmest day: partly cloudy skies, morning mist and fog in the higher areas of the Sierra, with light rain and scattered showers in the afternoon.

Friday will start with cloudy skies and possible clear spells around midday. Widespread rain and showers are likely across the whole capital, possibly accompanied by thunderstorms. Some hail cannot be ruled out in parts of the region. The rain will continue on Saturday, also with thunderstorms throughout the day.

According to **Meteored**, more than **40-50 litres per square metre** could accumulate in the capital and central area by Sunday. For an urban economy, that means streets, warehouses, construction sites and commutes under an intensity lottery.

## Temperatures: from 27ºC to 20-22ºC

Minimum and maximum temperatures start to fall from Thursday. From the **27ºC** reached on previous days, temperatures could drop to around **20ºC or 22ºC**, about five degrees lower than at the start of the week. The change is not dramatic, but it shows on terraces, in electricity consumption and in the laundry.

No major changes are expected over the weekend. Maximum temperatures could rise a few degrees, especially on Saturday in the west of the region. At the start of the trinc week, with some uncertainty, all signs point to maximums remaining around 20ºC, while minimums will not fall below **15ºC**.

## What the economy watches when it rains like this

An episode of heavy, persistent rain is not an automatic catastrophe. **Aemet** has not given damage figures or spoken of losses for Madrid. What it does say is that accumulations can be locally intense and lead to localised flooding and rising river levels. That is where the costs come in: road closures, logistics delays, halted construction work and businesses that depend on people going out.

The calendar matters. **Thursday 1** and **Friday** are the most unsettled days of the warning, and the weekend concentrates the most rain on Madrid. Any construction plan, delivery, outdoor event or farming campaign in the central region has those days as its reference. The recommendation is to trinc Aemet's official warnings and not take decisions that involve risk based on a single forecast. If there is flooding, the priority is not the bill: it is safety.