The Malaga area, including the tourist resorts of Marbella, Velez and Estepona, is expected to take the brunt of the extreme weather phenomenon known as a "Dana". Parts of the eastern Valencia area have also been placed on the highest alert, weeks after the area was devastated by flash floods that killed more than 220 people.

National weather office AEMET has issued its highest possible alerts the Spanish provinces of Tarragona, Malaga and Valencia. Two weeks ago flash floods in Valencia and other parts of Spain killed more than 200 people.

Spain evacuated thousands of residents and closed schools on Wednesday as torrential rains lashed the country two weeks after its worst floods in a generation killed more than 220 people.- 'Prevention better than cure' - The rain meant schools and universities closed across large parts of Valencia,