By Andrei Khalip, Inti Landauro (Reuters) -Catastrophic flash floods that have killed at least 217 people in Spain are caused by a destructive weather system in which cold and warm air meet and produce powerful rain clouds,

Climate scientists and meteorologists say the immediate cause of the flooding in Spain is a DANA, a cut-off lower pressure storm system that migrated from an unusually wavy and stalled jet stream.

After one of the worst natural disasters in Spain's history, emergency services in Valencia are fighting against the devastating consequences of the tsunami-like floods. Soldiers and police are searching for survivors and supporting the clean-up work in the affected areas.