Spain braces for Storm Kirk’s wrath: Locals are warned of hurricane force winds and heavy rain as satellites show major weather front approaching

STORM Kirk is rapidly approaching Spain and is expected to wreak havoc across large parts of the country within hours.

Satellite images (pictured above) from earlier today showed how the eye of the storm was around 1,500km away from the Iberian Peninsula.

According to meteorologists at El Tiempo, the weather system will bring extremely strong winds across most of the country and the Balearic Islands.

They warned that in the very north and north west, gusts could exceed 120km/hr locally, placing them in the hurricane force category.

One model on El Tiempo has a maximum wind speed of 143km/hr in Asturias on Wednesday.

It comes as state weather agency Aemet has placed multiple provinces on an orange alert for Wednesday, when the worst of Kirk is expected.

While it has not forecast 143km/hr winds, it predicts that multiple areas in the north, including Asturias, are expected to see gusts of up to 120km/hr.

They have been placed on an orange-level warning by Aemet, meaning there is a ‘significant risk’ to life, due to heavy rainfall, storms and strong winds.

The areas on an orange alert include: A Coruña, Santiago de Compostela, Vigo, Oruense, Lugo, Oviedo, Valladolid, Palencia, Bilbao, Santander, Leon, Pontevedra and parts of the Cantabrian coast.

Meanwhile, dozens of yellow alerts for winds of up to 80km/hr have been activated across the country, including in central parts and the southern coast of Andalucia.

They include; Zamora, Salamanca, Avila, Segovia, Soria, Teruel, Cuenca, Guadalajara, Madrid, Toledo, Caceres, Ciudad Real, Talavera de la Reina, the whole coast of Almeria and the coast of Motril in Granada.

The majority of Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca are also on yellow alert Wednesday for winds of up to 60km/hr and waves of up to three metres.

According to The Weather Channel, the end of this week will usher in four days of rain on the Costa del Sol, including Marbella, starting from Friday.

Despite losing intensity, having racked up winds of 250km/hr over the Atlantic, it will still have a significant impact on the weather in Spain this week.