Laurence Dollimore
LARGE parts of Spain woke up to dramatic scenes on Wednesday as the worst of Storm Kirk arrived to the Iberian Peninsula.
Almost the entire country has been placed on a weather warning for winds of between 70km/hr and 140km/hr – although gust of 164km/hr have already been recorded in the Basque Country.
READ MORE: Storm Kirk sparks travel chaos in Spain with more than a dozen flights cancelled
It comes as Kirk, a former category four hurricane, begins its journey northwards towards France and the British Isles.
Footage shared online from Spain this morning showed how dozens of trees across Asturias, Galicia and the Basque Country had been blown over by the ferocious winds.
In Toledo, metal infrastructure for a local fair was pictured strewn across the ground, having been destroyed by the extreme gales.
In Segovia, a clip showed people almost being toppled over by the winds and struggling to walk around the city centre.
In Galicia footage showed how some streets had been turned into rapids, while other videos showed homes flooded and rain bucketing down while the wind can be heard howling in the background.
It comes as multiple flights in Spain have been cancelled or forced to divert today due to hurricane force winds battering the country.
This morning has seen at least four flights unable to land at Bilbao airport due to winds of up to 164km/hr.
Meanwhile, a further six flights to Bilbao have been cancelled, including one from London, two from Santiago de Compostela and three from Barcelona.
Spanish airport authority Aena said an 8.05am flight from Alicante to Bilbao had to return after aborting its landing, as did another 8.15am flight from Barcelona.
A third flight from Malaga was forced to land in Asturias and a fourth from Madrid had to turn back around and return to Barajas airport.
Up until 9.25am, just one flight from Vienna managed to land at Bilbao airport.
The authorities have advised residents to avoid unnecessary journeys and to take extreme precautions, especially on roads, where the wind can create dangerous situations.
It comes as falling branches and other minor incidents have already been reported.
The situation is being closely monitored by the emergency services, who have been placed on alert.
