Authorities triggered emergency response measures as floods brought rail and road traffic to a halt in northeast Spain today and grounded more than 90 flights.
Nearby southern France braced for high winds and more flooding, just one month after floods there killed 23 people and caused €1.2 billion worth of damage.
The regional government in Barcelona enacted an emergency plan calling up all firefighters, regional police forces and the Red cross to help in rescue operations, firefighters said.
Most flights in and out of Barcelona's El Prat airport were delayed after the airport's control tower was flooded.
A total of 90 flights by Spanish carrier Iberia as well as several flights to French and Italian cities were cancelled before the problem was resolved at around 6 p.m. (5 p.m. Irish time).
In Barcelona, five subway stations and three regional railway lines around Spain's second city were closed, as were many main roads because of flooding and damage to power lines.
A total of 114 litres of rain per square metre fell in Barcelona in less than 12 hours.
Some 30,000 homes in the popular tourist destination of Costa Brava were left without electricity as weather forecasters warned rainfall could reach 200 litres by tonight.
In France, forecasters issued a level three alert - out of a four-level maximum - running from this morning to midday tomorrow.
AFP