Holiday spot flooded: Madeira feels impact of Storm Oscar

Torrential rain caused flash flooding in Madeira this week, destroying homes amid wider damage.

At least 38 people have lost their homes with flooding and landslides affecting the popular holiday island of Madeira off the west coast of Morocco on Tuesday.

The region around Funchal on the south side of the island was particularly impacted. Video recordings from social networks show how quickly a harmless river turns into a raging torrent.

In Madeira, at least 38 people were left homeless by the storms. One of the causes was a landslide in the municipality of Santo António above the city of Funchal.

There are also large amounts of mud and debris on the roads. Fallen trees led to road closures.

On the Areeiro, Madeira's third-highest mountain, 604.3 mm of rain per square metre fell within 24 hours. The previous national 24-hour rainfall record of 346.8 mm per square metre was set on Pico do Arieiro on 8 April 2008.

Responsible for the large amounts of rain was Storm Oscar, which caused torrential continuous rain and gales. The storm continues to move towards Portugal.

It is possible that the warmer than average Atlantic Ocean intensified the rainfall. The water temperature is currently two to three degrees higher than the average at this time of year.

With higher water temperatures, more water vapour can evaporate, fuelling possible showers and thunderstorms.