Laurence Dollimore
A RED weather warning for snow has been issued across central and eastern Spain as storm Filomena continues to wreak havoc.
The most extreme warning, issued by weather agency AEMET, means there is a serious risk to life.
The areas facing life-threatening conditions include inland Valencia, both north and south, the Metropolitan and Henares areas of Madrid and large parts of Albacete.
The capital is expected to see up to 20cm of snow in 24 hours, as are both affected areas in inland Valencia.
Albacete, too, will see up to 20cm of snow, predicts AEMET.
Most of the red warnings will remain in place for most of Saturday.
Tomorrow will see the Ribera del Ebro in Zaragoza, parts of Tarragona and Teruel all fall under the red alert for snow.
Further south, an orange level warning for snow remains in place in Granada and Jaen.
Guadix and Baza can expect up to 15cm of snow to fall in 24 hours, while Villacarrillo and Cazorla can expect up to 20cm.
Valle del Almanzora and Los Velez in interior Almeria is also on orange alert for snowfall, with up to 15cm expected in a 24-hour period.
A cold snap has gripped the country for much of this week, with record low temperatures.
The El Clot de la Llanca meteorological station in the Pyrenees recorded -34.1C on Wednesday, an all time Spanish record.
In Madrid the lake in the iconic Retiro Park has frozen over while residents have uploaded pictures of snowball fights.
