Death toll climbs in wake of Storm Gloria, which pounded Spain with massive waves, heavy snow and flooding

Storm Gloria unleashed fierce winds, flooding rainfall and stirred up phenomenal waves on Spain's southern and eastern coastlines from Sunday into Wednesday. By Thursday, officials reported the death toll was rising and several people were still missing.

Some of the locations that were hit the hardest by Gloria during the four-day stretch include Murcia, Valencia, Barcelona, and the Balearic Islands.

The heavy rain, snow and strong winds created widespread travel disruptions and localized flooding.

The storm has been blamed for at least 13 fatalities, according to Telecinco. Four other people were still missing as of Friday.

Reuters reported that Spain's government was scrambling together an emergency meeting for Friday to deal with the aftermath. Pedro Sanchez, Spain's prime minister, flew over some eastern parts of the country that were hit hard by Gloria to survey the damage.

"I think what's important right now is that we're all united, that we work shoulder-to-shoulder and cooperate, as we are doing," Sanchez said to reporters, according to Reuters. He added that the storm hit just as many in the country were preparing for high tourist season.

Rainfall began to increase across eastern Spain from Sunday into Monday with the Balearic Islands enduring the brunt of the storm.

Majorca was lashed by strong winds of 65-80 km/h (40-50 mph) and heavy rainfall.

Rainfall totaled 75-125 mm (3-5 inches) through midday Monday with local amounts over 175 mm (7 inches).

Pounding surf also caused coastal flooding across the islands.

A U.K. national remains missing in Ibiza following the stormy weather, according to BBC News.

Heavy rainfall and damaging winds also moved into Valencia and surrounding areas from Sunday into Monday.

Rainfall of 50-100 mm (2-4 inches) caused flooding while coastal flooding was reported due to waves up to 6 meters (20 feet) battering beaches and communities.

Waves hit a partially damaged bridge during a storm in Badalona's beach, outskirts of Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. Massive waves and gale-force winds smashed into seafront towns, damaging many shops and restaurants and flooding some streets. (AP Photo/Joan Mateu)

A man was hospitalized with a broken leg after being struck by a large wave along the Costa Blanca on Monday.

The body of another man was found on Wednesday after flooding caused a building to collapse in Alcoy.

A wind gust of 135 km/h (84 mph) was reported in Xàbia, along Spain's eastern coastline to the south of Valencia on Monday.

Flights were canceled at several airports in eastern Spain due to the downpours and strong winds. Alicante airport was closed on Monday during the worst of the storm.

The storm cut power to more than 10,000 people in eastern France on Monday, according to the AP.

Conditions worsened across northeastern Spain Monday night into Tuesday as Gloria shifted northward.

More than 200,000 people were left without power on Tuesday in the Girona province area due to heavy rain and snow, according to Reuters.

Widespread rainfall totals of 50-100 mm (2-4 inches) were common across Catalonia and Girona with some communities receiving 150 mm (6 inches) of rainfall by Wednesday. Reports of around 200mm (8 inches) of rainfall through Wednesday night were common across the hardest-hit communities of northeastern Catalonia.

Cities in this region normally receive around an inch of rainfall for the entire month of January.

The Ebro Delta was flooded up to 3 km (1.84 miles) inland due to the combination of heavy rainfall and large surf. This caused significant damage to crops in the region.

The relentless pounding surf also caused waist-high sea foam to take over the streets of Tossa de Mar Tuesday night into Wednesday.

Additional flooding, significant travel disruptions and a high risk of mudslides continued into Wednesday night.

The heavy rainfall spilled over into southern France where flooding was reported on Wednesday.

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Locations from Almería to Malaga escaped the worst of the storm with occasional rain into Wednesday.

Periods of locally heavy rain on Thursday and continuing into Friday will raise the risk for flooding along Spain's southern coastline from Marbella to Cadiz.

The snow had already begun to pile up in higher elevations of southeastern Spain on Monday.

The snow forced the closure of around 30 roads across the higher elevations of eastern Spain, according to the AP.

The higher elevations of the Baetic Mountains and the eastern Iberian Range received 30 cm (12 inches) or more of snowfall.

Heavy snowfall in the Pyrenees from Tuesday into Wednesday brought travel to a standstill.

The town of Vilafranca reported a new maximum snow depth record of 86 cm (33.9 inches) on Wednesday. The previous record was 80 cm (31.5 inches) set in 1968.

The heavy snowfall caused significant power cuts across the region.

AccuWeather meteorologists say a period of dry and tranquil weather may settle across much of eastern Spain and the western Mediterranean during the second half of the week, but some heavier rain may fall across southern France.

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