Heavy rains flood Madrid Metro lines and road tunnels during regional weather alert

Subway lines flooded across Madrid

Intense rainfall caused partial shutdowns on three lines of the Madrid Metro network on Tuesday, October 6, 2026. The municipal transport operator suspended train movements in both directions across affected segments of Line 4 (Argüelles-Pinar de Chamartín), Line 5 (Alameda de Osuna-Casa de Campo), and Line 7 (Hospital del Henares-Pitis). Flooding first interrupted Line 7 between García Noblejas and Cartagena stations around 16:15, with disruptions spanning intermediate stops including Ascao, Pueblo Nuevo, Barrio de la Concepción, and Parque de las Avenidas.

Service on Line 5 was halted at 16:15 between Pirámides and Urgel, affecting Marqués de Vadillo station. Shortly after 16:30, water accumulation stopped trains on Line 4 between Goya and Lista stations. Metro de Madrid initially estimated resolution times of more than 15 minutes for each affected section. While crews cleared tracks progressively throughout the late afternoon, Line 7 remained closed for over an hour before service was fully restored shortly before 19:00.

Urban road network and tunnel closures

Surface transport across the Spanish capital faced severe delays as stormwater accumulated on city thoroughfares and key commuter arteries. The Madrid Municipal Mobility Management Center closed both the María de Molina tunnel and the Alfonso XIII tunnel to allow emergency personnel to pump standing water and clear roadway hazards. Emergency services warned motorists of deep water pools forming across highway lanes, severe traffic gridlock, elevated crash risks, and possible overflows along regional river basins. Authorities urged drivers across the metropolitan area to avoid non-essential travel and check transport updates before departing.

Meteorological origin and regional warnings

The storm system resulted from an upper-level isolated depression (DANA), consisting of a cold air pocket in higher atmospheric layers, merging with an incoming Atlantic trough. Spain's State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) issued a yellow weather alert for thunderstorms and heavy rain covering the entire Community of Madrid starting at 16:00 on Tuesday. Meteorologists forecasted a general drop in maximum daytime temperatures across the region, while nighttime minimum temperatures remained stable through the end of the day. Forecasters warned that the unstable weather pattern and rain risks could extend into Wednesday across central Spain.

Housing camps persist through downpours

The heavy rain battered open-air housing protest camps set up in city squares across Spain. In Madrid, activists who had occupied the central Puerta del Sol for more than a week used buckets to bail stormwater from inundated tents and unstable tarpaulins as thunder sounded overhead. Despite saturated equipment and strong winds, demonstrators refused to evacuate the plaza. In Galicia, demonstrators maintained their camp at the Praza do Obradoiro in Santiago de Compostela under similar wet weather conditions.

Camp spokesperson Miguel García stated that the long-standing housing affordability crisis required concrete structural remedies from a pending general strike rather than temporary political measures.

We are Galicians, the rain does not stop us.

García criticized the national government led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, arguing that current proposals were designed to preserve political office in the Moncloa palace rather than resolve housing shortages. Protesters in both Madrid and Santiago de Compostela affirmed that their encampments would remain in place indefinitely regardless of ongoing storms.