Coastal areas of Valencia were placed under the highest alert on Wednesday evening, with up to 7 inches of rain in the forecast.

The flash floods were caused by heavy rain, which by Wednesday morning had begun "easing off," according to the country's meteorological agency.

On Thursday, parts of Spain were braced for even more flooding after orange alerts were issued for southern Granada and Valencia's coastal area, where between 40-120mm of rain were projected to fall. Winds of up to 74mph and high seas are predicted for Tarragona, Barcelona and Murcia.