Spain suffered several power glitches and industry officials sounded repeated warnings about the instability of its power grid in the build up to its catastrophic blackout on Monday.

The sweeping power outage that hit Spain and Portugal this week has raised questions about the electricity grid in a region not normally known for blackouts.

Several airports, including Madrid airport, which is Spain's busiest, had no electricity, El Mundo reported. Madrid's mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, urged residents to limit their movements and stay off roads. Major cities including Barcelona, Seville and Valencia were without power. Parts of France were also affected by power loss.