Aemet’s office in Valencia told El Diario newspaper: “It is not possible for air and sea temperatures to increase and everything else to remain the same.”

This new climate reality in a country currently suffering Record-breaking heat waves in summer It is very difficult to live with cold drops because it is unpredictable.

Heavy rains do not always cause flash floods, but Valencia is also vulnerable to them.

These are more likely to happen because Spanish soil can be dry, especially after summer, and cannot absorb water.

When sudden rainfall occurs, such as a cold snap, water remains on the surface, increasing the risk of flash floods.

Meanwhile, Spain’s rivers, especially in the Mediterranean basin, are short and steep and have narrow floodplains.

During heavy rains, river beds and dry stream channels fill quickly, which can pose a threat to surrounding communities.

Urbanization of flood-prone areas has also reduced natural drainage, replacing soil with concrete and other building materials.

Drainage system cannot cope

Valencia’s drainage system was also not designed to handle such heavy downpours.

Despite efforts to modernize infrastructure, the region remains vulnerable to flash floods.

Locals also claimed that poor drainage around the towns was causing the floods to worsen.

One of them told The Telegraph: “There are floods around this time every year, especially in small towns near rivers. Drainage is a big problem.

“Because the ground is solid due to the summer heat, water flows from the mountains to the rivers.

“When they overflow, the hard ground cannot absorb the excess water and floods occur. If it rains for three or four days in a row, there will be floods.

“The drainage system in the towns does not look very good either. “In some places you can hardly see any sewage on the streets.”

Concerns have also been expressed that a large reservoir (first mooted in the 1960s) could not be built, which would help prevent flooding in the region by relieving pressure on the rivers.

The number of deaths and the destruction caused by this week’s flood shocked Spanish authorities.

But far from being a tragically isolated event, data suggest that the future will bring more, more frequent and more powerful disasters.