This was the waterspout that struck La Cala de Mijas

A waterspout or small tornado with winds up to 130 kilometers per hour wreaked havoc last night in the core of La Cala de Mijas... The whirlwind, the last remnants of storm Emilia, lifted small recreational boats, uprooted trees, urban furniture, and destroyed part of the Christmas lighting, but left no one injured.

The width of the waterspout is marked by the destruction it caused. It entered through Torreón beach and at the boatyard of this beach, the only one in La Cala de Mijas, it swept away some small catamarans. The wind lifted them and displaced them up to about 30 meters away, some on the beach and on the access walkways, and others on land. Next to the boatyard, a steel beach shower was completely uprooted, attesting to the strength of the wind.

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A waterspout sends boats flying and destroys Christmas decorations in La Cala de Mijas

The other end of the damage on the coast was marked by the Arroyo beach bar, just 60 meters from the boatyard. The wind left its mark on the sheet metal roof of the establishment. It lifted the roof and inside caused a piece of the ceiling to fall, among other damages, and completely uprooted the metal structures of some umbrellas. A few meters further east, the Los Delfines beach bar, made of masonry with a roof, suffered no further consequences than chairs and tables from the terrace ending up airborne.

The wind whirlwind continued inland. On what would be the first line of the beach, it broke some trees, railings of private houses, and the screen of a hospitality establishment like Olivia's La Cala, while the perpendicular streets, with small blocks of housing one in front of the other, remained virtually intact.

Further along, on the boulevard of La Cala de Mijas, parallel to the beach, the wind left its mark. It did so, not throughout the avenue, nor even in one of its sections, but only in a strip located between Glorieta Anita Ruiz (where Marbella street ends) towards the access to the highway in the direction of Fuengirola. There, the City Council placed Christmas lighting structures with a height equivalent to that between a third and a fourth floor. All those that were closest to the roundabout ended up flying, while those in that same section closest to the A-7 remained standing. The same occurred in the most western section of the boulevard, clearly marking the border of the effects of the strong winds.

The width of the waterspout was thus perfectly outlined on the boulevard, while the whirlwind continued its course towards the Sierra de Mijas through areas such as the scattered La Rosa. It caused the fall of street lamps, construction materials, and especially trees, and damage to at least eight vehicles. Three streets had to be closed to traffic: Vado del río on Avenida Andalucía and Azalea and Walter Bayer streets. Damage of significance was also recorded in seven other points of the town due to falls of different elements (Christmas lighting, construction materials, and trees) without affecting traffic.

During the night, the Mijas Firefighters made a total of seven outings related to the effects of the storm, while the Local Police intervened continuously assisting and coordinating with the rest of the municipal areas, securing the affected zones, regulating traffic when necessary, and carrying out information and coordination tasks at the various points with incidents.