HUGE hailstones and flash flooding is wreaking havoc on a Brit holiday hotspot as people are warned to prepare for “extraordinary danger”.
Intense flooding and wild weather is lashing the popular tourist destination in the Costa del Sol, as streets turn into rivers across the area.
Warning alert alarms on mobile phones are sounding in the Sol and Guadalhorce areas of the province of Málaga, including the capital city, as torrential rain presents “extraordinary danger” to people.
People have been advised to avoid unnecessary travel and to seek higher ground if in a flood-prone area.
The conditions are expected to intensify overnight, with the Spanish meteorological agency (Aemet) issuing a red warning.
The agency predicts up to 120 litres of water per square metre could accumulate in 12 hours.
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There may be flooding and sudden rises in water levels, the agency warns.
Advice suggests to avoid riverbeds and flood-prone areas.
The alert is currently in effect and is expected to last until 3.59am on Sunday, December 28.
It should then be downgraded to a yellow alert.
The forecast for Sunday is overcast, with winds generally light and variable, with moderate easterly gusts along the coast.
Another part of Europe is also experiencing wild weather, after the eruption of a huge volcano on the east coast of Sicily.
Dramatic footage shows Mount Etna, Europe’s most active volcano, sending glowing lava and huge clouds of ash into the air.
Huge clouds can be seen rising from the mountain as a serene skier makes their way down the slopes, apparently unaware of the eruption.
Etna entered a new eruptive phase yesterday December 26, with Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) confirming the activity.
Jets of lava spurted over 1000ft into the air, the INGV said, adding that rock fragments were flung “several kilometres above the summit of Etna”.
A yellow alert has been issued, with many concerned about the nearby Fontanarossa airport.
Some flight delays have been reported, but no serious disruptions so far.
The yellow alert means increased monitoring and information sharing but for the moment, airports in the area remain open.
The INGV said that winds blew the huge ash cloud north-eastward.
Some ash landed on Piano Provenzana, a Sicilian ski resort on the side of the volcano itself.
Ash from Etna also reached the nearby town of Taormina.
The INGV said lava is still flowing after “strong explosions”, and has travelled around 2km east, towards Valle del Bove.
Eruptions began on Boxing Day, with “several hours of calm” before they started again on December 27.