112 Andalucía offers safety advice as red, amber and yellow alerts for torrential rain are activated in Malaga

Red, amber and yellow weather warnings have been activated for Wednesday in Malaga province following predictions that more 50mm of rain could fall in an hour. Spain's state weather agency (Aemet) has also forecast that up 120mm of rain could fall in 12 hours in the central part of the Costa del Sol, Guadalhorce valley and Axarquia areas.

The wet weather is due to an isolated cold low (BFA) which "is associated with the formation of a surface storm, which is what we call a cyclogenesis," said Jesús Riesco, director of the Aemet weather centre in Malaga.

Ahead of the expected inclement weather, the Junta's 112 Andalucía emergency services coordination centre has released a series of recommendations "to prevent risks and guarantee safety".

Firstly, it advises against parking vehicles near riverbeds, even if they are dry. 112 Andalucía also pointed out that it is preferable to avoid travelling by road but that, if it is essential, it is important to find out about the state of the roads you are going to travel on before setting off and, once on the road, to follow instructions from authorities, as well as to keep informed about the weather forecast through the media and social media.

The service also recommends slowing down and increasing the braking distance between vehicles and never crossing through a flooded area or an area with pools of water; if you have crossed a flooded area for any reason, then you should test the brakes by lightly applying them.

In the event that a driver is caught in heavy flood water inside the vehicle, they must leave the vehicle immediately when the water is above the wheel axle height.

112 Andalucía also advises avoiding walking in rural areas in stormy weather, as isolated or solitary trees and rocks can attract lightning, as do metallic objects. The service also does not recommend walking along promenades, breakwater areas and lookout points in stormy weather, as the waves could suddenly sweep people into the sea.

In the event of an emergency, the freephone number is 112, which is available 24 hours a day in multiple languages, every day of the year.