Severe thunderstorms and torrential rain have once again battered coastal Spain, causing thousands of people to be evacuated just two weeks after the country experienced deadly flooding in Valencia and other nearby communities.

Schools in flood-hit towns in eastern Spain are closed as the region braces for more torrential rains, officials said.

Eastern and southern Mediterranean areas are again the most vulnerable, with Spain's meteorological agency Aemet placing parts of the Valencia, Catalonia and Andalusia regions, as well as the Balearic Islands, on orange alert from now until Thursday.