a scar that “splits” the peninsula with water

We have had 2026 going through water. Christina It brought strong winds and covered the central part of the peninsula with snow. Then, the storm Leonardo left torrential rains and strong winds in Andalusia and we didn’t finish saying goodbye to Marta and Nils is here. So much water has fallen that the state’s reservoirs store 117% more hydroelectric energy that a year ago, classes have been suspended in almost all of Andalusia and municipalities such as Grazalema have been evicted in the face of the threat of almost 600 liters of water per square meter, a figure that beats any previous record.

Not only Spain has suffered the intense rain, Portugal has also taken its share: affected areas include Alcácer do Sal and the Tagus River basin, in the southern part of the country. Luis Montenegro, Prime Minister of Portugal, has declared the state of calamity in 68 municipalities until mid-February due to unprecedented rains and floods.

Visually we have seen how rivers and reservoirs reached unusual heights, but from space the image of the trail left by the train of storms in the southwest of the peninsula it is also impressive. Below these lines, the radar image of the European Space Station based on data captured by Copernicus Sentinel-1 with the extension of the floods around the Tagus River and its basin.

The extent of flooding around the Tagus River and its basin. THAT

To create this composition, ESA has superimposed an image taken on February 7, 2026 over one taken on December 27, 2025. The area marked in red indicates how far the water level has risen in the Tagus basin and surrounding areas. This synthetic aperture radar is capable of operating even in unfavorable conditions, such as low sunlight and dense cloud cover, allowing continuous monitoring.

The map that we see below shows the accumulation of rain in the Iberian Peninsula in a few days: from February 1 to February 7, 2026. For this, the European Space Station has taken the data of the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) missionan international network of satellites that provides global observations of rain and snow. Those areas in red indicate a record of more than 250 millimeters of rain in just one week.

Accumulated rain from February 1 to 7. THAT

As can be seen, North Africa, southwest Portugal, Galicia and the provinces of Málaga and Cádiz bore the brunt, which explains the situation of saturation of the land and why several hydrographic basins increased their flow significantly. By combining both systems it is possible to relate how intense the precipitation is with its physical impact and its real extension.

In Xataka | Google flood risk map: so you can see if you live in an area that is at risk

In Xataka | Map with the level of reservoirs: how to check their status and the dangers of river overflowing with infoAGUA

Cover | European Space Agency