WATCH: Southern Spain bashed by golfball-size hailstones, flash floods triggered

Normally a tourist destination for northern Europeans to enjoy a sun holiday at this time of year, southern Spain was reduced to an almost apocalyptic wasteland after a phenomenal and ferocious storm struck almost without warning.

Tuesday’s storm was so intense it shattered windows, felled large tree branches, and created flash flooding all within a matter of minutes, with reports of waterspouts adding further to the almost biblical nature of the storm.

Localized flash flooding led to widespread power outages affecting more than 7,000 people overnight, amid a deafening roar as massive hailstones laid waste to trees, cars, windows and anything else unfortunate to be left out in the open. 

Eyewitness footage from the suburbs of Ciudad Real provides just a small glimpse of the terrifying storm, which left residents scrambling indoors for cover, as the streets overflowed.

An orange weather alert was issued by the State Meteorological Agency due to the risk of storms as heavy rain continued throughout the country on Wednesday.

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