Storm Bruna puts ten Spanish regions on alert as Madeira flood leaves 5 homeless

Storm Bruna put ten communities in Spain, including Madrid and Galicia, under rain and wind warnings on Monday as the Atlantic storm entered its fourth day, according to ElDiario.es. The depression has already left 5 people homeless in Madeira and caused 26 separate incidents there, Portuguese outlets reported.

In Galicia, regional authorities issued an alert for the rain brought by Bruna, La Voz de Galicia reported. In the Madrid region, the storm brought rain and overcast skies, ElDiario.es said, a milder effect than in areas further south and west of the peninsula.

In the Canary Islands, lightning struck close to a woman in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on Monday, Canarias7 reported; no injury was reported. The storm had already brought gusts of more than 100km/h that knocked over two cargo containers in La Palma, and waves of up to 4 metres, according to ElDiario.es and Canarias7.

In Madeira, the storm left a family of 5 homeless after flooding and caused 26 separate incidents on the island, Observador and Portugal Resident reported. Flights to and from the island were also disrupted over the weekend.

Spain's state weather agency, Aemet, had earlier placed Galicia, Extremadura and Andalusia under orange rain warnings, while Portugal's weather service, IPMA, raised Castelo Branco and Guarda to the same level. On Gran Canaria, authorities had suspended all public and private gatherings on Sunday because of the storm.

Observador reported that IPMA expects a new weather system, named Charles, to approach the Iberian Peninsula around Wednesday, though its track and strength remain uncertain. Forecasters in France said Bruna would bring unusually warm air to the south-west of the country before heavier rain spreads further north and east.