Before and after images of the floods in Spain show parts of the country under water

CNN
—

The deadly flooding that rocked Spain this week after heavy, historic rains is so extensive and severe that the area looked like an inland sea from space.

A year's worth of rain fell in just a few hours on Tuesday in east-central Spain, triggering a wave of floods that collapsed river banks, turned roads into raging rapids and washed away cars and bridges.

At least 205 people died in the catastrophic floods – extreme rainfall events like this are becoming more common as the world warms due to fossil fuel pollution.

Parts of the area now look like an extension of the Balearic Sea after unprecedented rainfall turned what was supposed to be dry ground into a vast expanse of water, satellite images from October 30 show.

Floods appear in various shades of blue and cover the dry ground (browns and greens) earlier this month, images show. The dramatic, widespread flooding of inland areas has almost turned coastal areas into islands.

Waterways that were hardly noticeable in the “before”. Satellite images from earlier this month – like the one that runs just south of Valencia city center – are now highlighted in bright blue, suggesting how swollen they have become.

Dozens of people remain missing as of Friday as rescue and recovery efforts continue.

Close-up before and after aerial photos paint a more detailed picture of the extent of the devastation on the ground as the region begins the long process of assessing the damage and picking up the pieces.

The dramatic images show large swaths of Valencia now submerged in murky brown waters, with streets turned into rivers, cars strewn across dented highways, collapsed bridges and a flooded water treatment plant.

Satellite images show Valencia before and after the flood.
Maxar Technologies

Satellite images show the before and after of a flood-damaged highway in Valencia.
Maxar Technologies

Satellite images show Valencia before and after the flood.
Maxar Technologies

Satellite images show the before and after of a flood-damaged water treatment plant and highway in Valencia.
Maxar Technologies

This week's torrential rains were about 12% heavier and twice as likely as in a pre-industrial climate before humans began burning fossil fuels, according to a preliminary rapid analysis from World Weather Attribution. In Chiva, west of Valencia, 19 inches of rain fell in eight hours on Tuesday, according to the country's weather agency, AEMET.

In the immediate aftermath of extreme weather events, rapid analysis occurs by analyzing data to determine what role climate change has played.

CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller and CNN's Paul P. Murphy and Laura Paddison contributed to this report.