Madrid was hit was a powerful hailstorm that caused flash flooding in the capital and surrounding area.

In Arganda del Rey, located 30 kilometres south of Madrid, people removed large piles of hail after the large hail pieces pelted the town.

"The hailstorm started and it was horrifying, horrifying. [The flood] was very powerful and it began moving down and entering all the shops. The water was coming down from the top [of the town], it was like a river," one resident told Reuters.

Residents removed tonnes of hail and described cars turning upside down. One resident of Arganda del Rey said that glass littered the streets after the storm.

Madrid's fire department said on Twitter that five vehicles and two busses were trapped in flooding on the highway and said they were working to restore the city to normal.

The rain caused street and tunnel closures in the city.

Emergency services in Madrid said they carried out at least 150 interventions overnight.