Madrid, February 7, 2026 – The Europe Today: Spain and Portugal on Saturday prepared for another powerful storm approaching the Iberian Peninsula, just days after severe flooding caused by Storm Leonardo claimed at least one life in each country.
The latest weather system, named Storm Marta, prompted Portuguese authorities to deploy more than 26,500 rescue workers nationwide, according to media reports. In Portugal, the deteriorating weather conditions have also forced three municipalities to postpone Sunday’s presidential vote until next week.
Both countries issued fresh warnings over the risk of further flooding after recent inundations blocked hundreds of roads, disrupted rail services and forced thousands of residents to evacuate as rivers overflowed and water levels surged.
Mario Silvestre, a commander with Portugal’s civil protection agency, described the forecast as “extremely worrying,” according to the Lusa news agency. Authorities warned that Storm Marta could bring wind gusts of up to 110 kilometres (68 miles) per hour as it reaches the Portuguese coast, along with a heightened risk of landslides and flash floods.
The human toll of the recent storms has been significant. “All the furniture is completely destroyed, the water broke the window, forced the doors open and then burst through the window from the other side,” Francisco Marques, a municipal employee in the central Portuguese village of Constância, told AFP, describing the devastation caused by flooding.
In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was due to visit rescue teams in Madrid on Saturday as emergency services remained on high alert.
Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, who toured affected regions on Friday, said preliminary assessments indicated that damage had already exceeded €4 billion ($4.7 billion).
Portugal was still recovering from Storm Kristin—which killed five people, injured hundreds and left tens of thousands without electricity—when Storm Leonardo struck earlier this week, compounding the impact on already strained infrastructure.
Scientists have warned that human-driven climate change is increasing the duration, intensity and frequency of extreme weather events, heightening the risks faced by countries across southern Europe.
