Aemet activates general yellow alert for heavy rain and strong winds in Malaga province

The probability of the much-needed rain finally arriving in Malaga this week continues to grow and Spain's Aemet state weather agency has activated a general yellow warning for this Thursday, 19 October, for moderate rainfall in many areas of the province.

As far as downpours are concerned, up to 20mm may fall in just one hour in the late afternoon and early evening, specifically between 6pm and midnight. This will be particularly the case in the interior of the province (where the rain is most needed) in the Antequera, Ronda and Axarquía areas.

At the same time, a warning (also at a yellow level) has been issued for high winds and maximum gusts of 70 km/h from the west (poniente) may be recorded. In Malaga city, on the Costa del Sol and in the Guadalhorce valley and Axarquia areas, these may reach up to 80 km/h.

Although "it is not going to pour", in the words of the local director of the Met Office, Jesús Riesco, said this Thursday "a more active front is expected to be seen, with the right conditions for there to be widespread rainfall in the province". Although he prefers not to talk about amounts, due to the high margin of error, he does point out that these will be "moderate and persistent". The bad news is that it will be, for the moment, a one-off episode, as little rain is expected for the rest of the week.

The latest weather models are currently forecasting possible accumulations in inland areas of the province of between 30 and 50mm, especially in the Serranía de Ronda, the westernmost area of the Costa del Sol and the upper Guadalhorce valley, which will benefit both crops and the La Concepción and the Guadalhorce system reservoirs and also La Viñuela, although to a lesser extent.