Lorraine Williamson
The rain has eased across much of Málaga province, but Sunday has brought a different kind of hazard: wind-driven incidents and the lingering instability left behind by weeks of heavy weather.
Two emergencies reported over the weekend underline the point. In Málaga city, a baby was taken to hospital after being injured by a falling tree branch on the seafront. Inland, near Ronda, a man had to be rescued after becoming trapped in deep mud in a hard-to-reach rural area.
Both happened in conditions that many people would describe as “fine”. That, in itself, is the warning.
A baby injured on Málaga’s seafront
Emergency services were called after a branch fell on the Paseo Marítimo Pablo Ruiz Picasso in Málaga, injuring an eight-month-old baby, who was then taken to hospital. The incident was reported by SER Málaga as part of a wider round-up of storm-related call-outs across Andalucía.
It’s the kind of accident that councils try to prevent when they close parks and wooded areas during windy spells — not because every tree is unsafe, but because a single weakened branch can be enough to cause serious harm.
A mud rescue in the Serranía de Ronda
In the Estación de Gaucín area, a 53-year-old man was rescued after becoming stuck with mud up to his waist in difficult terrain. He was later taken to hospital in Ronda. The same report links the incident to the wider weather aftermath and difficult ground conditions.
The detail matters: saturated ground doesn’t simply “dry out” overnight. After prolonged rain, rural tracks can turn into traps, riverbanks become unstable, and areas that look walkable can behave like quicksand when churned up.
Yellow warnings still in place for wind and coastal conditions
Spain’s weather agency AEMET has continued to flag yellow warnings for wind in parts of Málaga, with coastal warnings also affecting the province’s shoreline, including forecasts of strong gusts and waves of up to around three metres in exposed areas.
Málaga Hoy has also highlighted that, while rainfall has eased, wind and rough sea conditions are still expected to drive impacts this weekend.
The wider picture: incidents and road disruption across Andalucía
Sunday’s events sit within a broader pattern. Andalucía has been dealing with widespread disruption from successive storms, and media reporting continues to cite large numbers of weather-related incidents and affected roads across the region.
For drivers, the most reliable check remains the DGT’s live list of roads affected by flooding, which is updated and includes kilometre points and closure status. (
What to do today if you’re heading out
Wind incidents are often preventable. If you’re walking with children, pushing a buggy, or taking a dog out near trees, avoid routes lined with large branches and steer clear of temporarily cordoned areas.
If you’re going hiking, keep to well-used paths and avoid riverbeds, muddy cut-throughs and steep slopes. The ground is still unstable in many inland areas, and rescue access can be slow when tracks are compromised.
And if the sea looks dramatic, treat that as a reason to step back, not lean in. Rough waves can knock people off their feet in seconds.
A quiet warning for the week ahead
This weekend’s incidents are a sharp reminder that winter weather risk on the Costa del Sol isn’t only about rain totals. The dangers often come later: falling branches, unstable ground, and sudden gusts that turn everyday places into risk zones.
The safest assumption for now is simple: if the last few weeks have soaked the landscape, the landscape is still reacting.