Laurence Dollimore
HEAVY rain will affect much of Malaga province tonight, putting a dampner on New Year’s Eve celebrations.
State weather agency Aemet has placed the majority of the coast and some inland areas under a yellow-level alert for heavy rainfall.
The warning is in place from 9pm tonight and will remain in effect until at least 6am on New Year’s Day.
The affected areas include Marbella, Estepona, Fuengirola, Torremolinos and Malaga city.
According to Aemet, up to 15mm of rain could fall within an hour, with storms accompanying showers in some areas.
It comes as a yellow alert for heavy rain and gales in Alicante has caused some celebrations to be suspended or even cancelled.
Alcoy has scrapped its noon and night events because of the weather warning.
Electrical equipment that was going to be installed on Monday ‘can be dangerous due to rain,’ the local council warned.
Fiestas councillor, Jordi Martinez, said: “We regret this decision as preparations have been taking place for a long time but safety is paramount.
“We made an early decision to cancel so that families can make other plans.”
Benidorm and Guardamar have also suspended their noon events known as the Tardevieja.
Benidorm has decided to rearrange it for Saturday but Guardamar has definitively cancelled its Tardevieja.
The province’s two biggest cities, Alicante and Elche, are monitoring the weather situation.
