THE killer winter storm battering Spain has sparked an ‘extreme risk’ warning for British tourists thinking of heading to the Costas.
The Foreign Office alert comes as Storm Gloria closed Alicante airport, flooded homes and blanketed resorts with more than a foot of snow.
One Spanish forecaster was quoted as saying the horror weather front is the worst to hit the country since in more than 35 years.
Flights to London, Newcastle, Bristol, Edinburgh and other major UK cities were grounded after the Alicante terminal – the gateway to Benidorm – was shut down.
Now, tourists are being advised to check the Spanish Civil Protection Unit for advice before heading to the Costas.
And the Foreign Office warns: “If you’re in the area you should exercise caution and follow the advice of the local authorities.
“Damage caused by flash flooding earlier in 2019 continues to affect some areas in the south of the Alicante and Murcia regions, causing some disruption to local transport and secondary road closures.”
Amazing photos from the site Benidorm Reviews show major roads sealed off by drifts and lorries stranded in snow.
Maps from Spain’s meteorological office (AEMET) reveal parts of the mainland are now covered by extreme weather warnings.
The Balearics, Canary Islands, Almeria, Granada and Jaen are also on red alert for high wind, snowfall and intense rainfall which could cause severe disruption to transport and even danger to life.
In a warning the AEMET said: “The combination of Storm Gloria’s position and the powerful European anticyclone…favours the entry of a mass of cold air from the interior of the continent.
“Together with the humid entrance of the Mediterranean, this is causing snowfall at very low levels of the third Eastern peninsular.
The situation is accompanied by intense, persistent and locally strong rainfall in the same areas, with accumulations throughout the episode that could promptly reach 150mm.”
“Copious snowfall is expected today from about 300/500 meters in the third Eastern peninsular, being able to accumulate more than 20-40 cm in areas.”
Drifts have already built up inland after a snow storm Villena, Valencia, left the city’s 35,000 inhabitants completely cut off.
Earlier it was revealed Gloria had claimed its third victim, as a 54-year-old homeless woman froze to death in a park in Spain.
The Romanian native died from hypothermia and was found dead in the Costa Blanca resort of Gandia.
Local reports said the unnamed woman and her husband had refused an offer of a bed from local social services ahead of the storm and had only accepted blankets and food.
Aside from plunging temperatures, Storm Gloria is bringing 75mph winds, 25ft waves and snow storms.
This comes as a 43-year-old man from the northern city of Oviedo was killed on Sunday as he was fitting snow chains on his car tyres.
The tragedy happened near a ski station near his home when he was hit by a van whose driver lost control of his vehicle because of the snow.
He was named locally as engineer Misael Garcia.
His wife and two children, aged four and nine, were in the car he was putting snow chains on and are said to have witnessed the tragedy.
Met Office weather meteorologists explain how Storm Gloria is impacting Spain and what it means for the UK
The third victim is a man, 63, who died after being hit by tiles from a roof in the village of Pedro Bernardo near the cathedral city of Avila.
He was found dead by a neighbour asked to check on him by worried relatives.
The Balearic Islands and the Costa Blanca have been among the worst-hit areas with a red warning issued as locals and holidaymakers were warned to expect winds of up to 75mph.