Cars have been washed out to sea after massive floods hit a Spanish island with authorities warning tourists to stay indoors.

Heavy rainfall has seen the streets of Gran Canaria become raging rivers as water levels rise.

A state of ‘pre-alert’ was issued by authorities across the Canary Islands on Saturday, March 1 after torrential rain hit the archipelago this weekend.

Today, Aemet, Spain’s national weather agency issued a red alert across Gran Canaria as the weather is set to continue this week.

Dramatic footage posted online shows, soil-coloured water rapidly moving down the street as it rushes in from the sea.

In another clip, a car is caught up in the swell before it is flushed down the road and out of view.

Local news website Canaria Weekly said that emergency services remain on ‘high alert’ and authorities have warned people to avoid unnecessary travel.

The heaviest rainfall is expected in Gran Canaria and the southeast of Tenerife with Aemet warning it could last until late this evening.

Heavy rainfall has seen the streets of Gran Canaria become raging rivers as water levels rise

A car is caught up in the swell before it is flushed down the road and out of view on the streets of Gran Canaria

Emergency services are on ‘high alert’ and authorities have warned people to avoid unnecessary travel

Cars have been washed out to sea after massive floods hit the Spanish island

A state of ‘pre-alert’ was issued by authorities across the Canary Islands on Saturday, March 1 after torrential rain hit the archipelago this weekend

The weather agency has also said that there is a possibility thunderstorms could hit the island.

However, authorities have said that conditions are set to improve by Wednesday with no further weather warnings in place.

In Valencia, a red alert has also been issued with schools closed across the region as a safety precaution.

A red warning is the highest level of alert and is only issued when there is ‘a serious risk’ to life.

Warnings have been sent out and residents have been advised to seek higher ground until the weather passes.

Last year flash floods in Valencia and other parts of Spain killed more than 200 people, destroyed thousands of homes and triggered mass protests against regional authorities.

The most up-to-date reports indicate that 223 people lost their lives, with at least 31 still missing, making it Spain’s deadliest weather disaster in decades.

A car was swept away by the rain in the Las Bachilleras ravine, in Telde

Spanish weather agency has said that there is a possibility thunderstorms could still hit the island

Some cars have been swept out to sea by the torrential rain, while others are damaged

Authorities have said that conditions are set to improve by Wednesday with no further weather warnings in place

People clean mud after heavy rain in the Salinetas neighborhood in Telde

Pictures taken in Valencia show water flooding down into the street as flash floods threaten the region once again

Warnings have been sent out in Valencia and residents have been advised to seek higher ground until the weather passes

In Valencia, a red alert has been issued with schools closed across the region as a safety precaution

The emergency response included the deployment of over 2,000 personnel from Spain’s military emergency unit, who worked alongside local responders and volunteers to conduct rescue and recovery operations.

An additional number of more than 30,000 volunteers were mobilized, from all over the country, to support the cleanup efforts.

To date, hundreds of families have lost their homes and thousands have seen their vehicles destroyed.