Miguel, 69, washes his sweeping brooms in the Dry River (Rio Seco) after cleaning his house, amid flooding caused by heavy rains, in La Hoz de la Vieja, Teruel province, Spain October 30, 2024. REUTERS/Nacho Doce
(Reuters) -Catastrophic flash floods that have killed at least 217 people in Spain are caused by a destructive weather system in which cold and warm air meet and produce powerful rain clouds, a pattern believed to be growing more frequent due to climate change.
The phenomenon is known locally as DANA, a Spanish acronym for high-altitude isolated depression, and unlike common storms or squalls it can form independently of polar or subtropical jet streams.
