Severe rainfall caused two deaths and widespread damage in the Spanish region of Catalonia following an emergency alert. Thousands of reports came in regarding fallen trees and flooded basements and homes. This follows similar, deadly flooding in Castilië-La Mancha in southeastern Spain earlier this week. Spain remains on high alert due to the memory of the devastating floods in the province of Valencia two years ago, which resulted in over two hundred fatalities and over 10 billion euros in damage. Scientists attribute the increased frequency of these intense storms to abnormally high Mediterranean Sea temperatures, currently 3-4 degrees warmer than average off the coast of Spain. The warmer water increases evaporation, leading to heavier rainfall when low-pressure systems move through, and can even contribute to the formation of mini-hurricanes.