The first weeks of 2026 have arrived with Very heavy rainfall in much of SpainA series of storms are leaving the ground saturated and rivers at capacity. In this context, each new front arrives on already saturated ground, increasing the likelihood of flooding and overflows in various river basins.
Given this unstable situation, technology has become another ally. Google has extended its Flood Hub platform to Spain., a system that works very similarly to Google Maps and allows you to consult an interactive map areas at risk of flooding, the expected evolution of rivers and the probability of floods several days in advance.
What is Flood Hub and why is it known as the Google Maps of floods?
Flood Hub is a public flood forecasting platform created by Google It displays, on an interactive map, the river areas most at risk of flooding. Its appearance is very similar to Google Maps: you can Move the map, zoom in, and search for specific locations to see the level of danger at each point.
The tool doesn't just show where it's raining, but It models the behavior of rivers and riverbedsTo do this, combine weather forecasts, hydrological data, satellite images and historical flood recordsall of this processed with models of artificial intelligence specifically trained for this purpose.
Thanks to these models, Flood Hub can to estimate up to seven days in advance whether a river is likely to overflow, what area could be flooded and what population would be affected. The information is presented with highly visual colors and alert levelsso that anyone can interpret the map without needing technical knowledge.
In practice, the platform behaves like a Google Maps of the floodsOn the ground, colored boxes and areas appear, accompanied by technical data sheets with details of each notice, so that both citizens and emergency services can get a quick idea of ​​the current situation and what is expected in the coming days.
Google reminds us that this is about approximate forecastsdesigned to complement the official reportsThat is, Flood Hub It does not replace alerts from organizations such as AEMET or river basin authorities.But it does add an extra layer of context that helps to make decisions with more leeway.
How Google's flood alert system works in Spain
Behind the Flood Hub map there is two large blocks of artificial intelligence models. On one side is the hydrological model, which uses meteorological data to predict when a river will fill up and at what point it might reach warning levels. On the other hand, the Flood model calculates which areas would be underwater and how far the water sheet could reach on the ground.
To power these models, the following are used: high-resolution rainfall data, flow information, detailed terrain topography, and satellite imageryThe system learns, among other things, how each area drains, how basins react to episodes of intense rainfall, and what patterns are repeated when floods have occurred in the past.
In Spain, Flood Hub It predicts river flooding up to seven days in advance. and updates its estimates daily. The map shows four levels of gravity very clear: from a normal situation, through warning notices, to levels of extreme danger or risk, represented with a color scale ranging from yellow to the most intense red.
In addition to river flooding, the tool offers Information on flash floods in urban areas in the next 24 hoursdifferentiating between probable and highly probable scenarios. This aspect is key in neighborhoods near riverbeds, low-lying areas of cities, or areas with poor drainage capacitywhere an intense storm can cause problems in a very short time.
In certain alerts, Flood Hub includes a detailed data sheet: estimated start date of the flood, possible duration of the episode, approximate size of the affected area in square kilometerspotentially at-risk population and even, in some areas, expected water level relative to the normal channelThis information is especially useful for local authorities and emergency services when planning road closures or specific evacuations.
How to check Flood Hub from your mobile phone or computer
Accessing the system is quite simple. It is not mandatory to have the Google Maps app installed.Simply open your browser (for example, Chrome) on your mobile phone, tablet, or computer and go to the Flood Hub page to see it directly. flood risk map.
Once inside, it works similarly to any other Google Maps service. You can move around the territory, zoom in or out and use the search engine to enter the name of a town, city or specific areaBy centering the map on that point, the tool shows if there are active alerts, the expected risk level, and the evolution of the situation in the coming days.
To have the map always at hand on your mobile phone, it is possible create a shortcut on the home screenThe process is quick: open Flood Hub in Chrome, click on the three-dot menu, and choose the option «Add to home screen»After confirming the icon name, the tool will be just a tap away, just like any other app.
The map itself includes a legend explaining the meaning of each color and the boxes that appear over the rivers and urban areasThis makes it easier to interpret whether it is a minor warning, a high-risk situation, or an extreme event that requires maximum caution.
It should be remembered that Flood Hub is conceived as a support systemGoogle insists that its forecasts are for guidance only and that, in case of doubt, you should always consult [the relevant authority]. official sources such as AEMET, the river basin authorities, or the regional and local civil protection services, who are the ones who issue the alerts that really dictate emergency actions.
Availability, global reach and focus on Spain
Google's project to predict floods didn't appear overnight. The company began in 2018 with early warning pilots in major river basins of Asia, such as the Ganges-Brahmaputra, using artificial intelligence models to calculate floods and flood zones.
Over the years, the platform expanded and, in 2022, it was launched Flood Hub's version with initial coverage in several countriesIn 2023, the service took a significant leap forward by expanding to around 80 countries, including Spainwith forecasts up to a week in advance that millions of people around the world can consult today.
Currently, Flood Hub It covers rivers and risk zones that affect nearly 400 million inhabitantsThat figure includes a large part of Europe, where the rain and snowstorms of recent winters have tested the capacity to respond to floods, and where Spain has become one of the territories where the tool is particularly useful due to the increasing frequency of extreme events.
In our country, the system offers a remarkable level of detail for river basinsallowing users to see which specific sections of a river are experiencing problems, how a flood might progress, and which municipalities fall within the alert zone. It also incorporates, in many cases, indicators on the state of reservoirs and damsso that possible floods associated with necessary releases to manage the accumulated excess water can be anticipated.
Despite the accuracy that the models have achieved, Google emphasizes that the map not infallibleEstimating flooded areas using satellite imagery can be complicated in dense urban environments or forested areas, so some of the affected land may not be detected correctly. Therefore, the company itself indicates that Approximately 80% of the area marked as flooded is considered reliableHowever, unshaded areas should not be automatically interpreted as safe.
Interactive map, satellite images, and alerts on Google Maps and Search
Flood Hub not only presents itself as an independent website: Google Maps It integrates some of this flood information into other services such as Google Maps and the search engine.When a river is expected to exceed a certain warning level, the system generates Forecasts based on flood histories and recent weather data which may appear linked to search results or to the Maps interface itself.
Interactive flood maps combine hydrological data with satellite images from missions such as Copernicus Sentinel-1which uses synthetic aperture radar to detect changes in the Earth's surface. From these images, Google's algorithms calculate which surfaces are actually underwater and they update the map when there are new satellite passes.
This process is not immediate: The images take several hours to process. And sometimes, it can take days to obtain a usable image due to weather or technical conditions. If the system detects that the most recent image is older than 72 hours, Stop showing that specific map until you have more up-to-date datato avoid presenting an outdated picture of the situation.
When the alert is no longer active or the forecast improves, Notifications and associated maps disappear from Google Search and Google MapsIn this way, the information the user sees focuses on the episodes that are actually underway or that could pose a problem in the short term.
Extra support against storms and gales in Spain
The recent storms that have swept across the peninsula, with gales leaving Very high rainfall totals and orange and red alerts in several regionsThey have highlighted the need for tools that offer more than just a simple rain forecast. In areas where The land can no longer absorb any more water and the reservoirs are nearing their limit.Knowing how the rivers might respond in the coming days makes all the difference.
In this scenario, Flood Hub presents itself as a practical resource for both individual users and administrationsA resident of a flood-prone area can check the predicted risk level in their neighborhood, while a city council or emergency services can use the map to plan preventative measures, assess specific evacuations, or reinforce certain points in the municipality before the water arrives.
The key is that All the information is gathered on a single map, accessible from any device. And with a simple visual representation. You don't need to be a meteorologist or a hydrology specialist to interpret a color code and understand whether the situation is worsening or improving in the coming days.
At the same time, the tool's design itself invites Always verify information with official channels.Flood Hub provides context and AI-powered forecasts, but emergency management still relies on public agencies. Using both channels in combination allows for... a more complete and up-to-date view of the risk of flooding in Spain.
With winters increasingly marked by episodes of intense rainfall and successive storms, having a specific "Google Maps" for floods has become another piece of the prevention puzzle: a free, open, and easy-to-use tool that, when used properly, can help reduce material damage and, in the best-case scenario, to help save lives when water overflows.
