First, picture a map of Spain. Now zoom in on the southern state of Andalusia. Get closer: The Andalusian coast forms a kind of shallow bulge, which juts into the Strait of Gibraltar. Even closer ...

Valencia, on the eastern coast, was initially struck the hardest ... according to the weather map by Spain's meteorological agency AEMET. Above Huelva are Andevalo and Condando as well as Aracena ...