Spain mourned at least 158 deaths on Thursday and authorities told people in flood-stricken regions to stay at home as rescuers raced to find survivors in the rare disaster.
An exceptionally powerful Mediterranean storm from Tuesday unleashed heavy rains and torrents of mud-filled water that swept away people and wrecked homes, with the eastern Valencia region hit hardest.
The body coordinating rescue work in the Valencia region announced that 155 bodies had been recovered there by Thursday.
Officials in Castilla-La Mancha and Andalusia had announced a combined three deaths in their regions on Wednesday.
With many people still missing and some areas remaining inaccessible to rescuers, government ministers had warned Wednesday's provisional toll of 95 was likely to rise.
"Please, stay at home... follow the calls of the emergency services," pleaded Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
"Right now, the most important thing is to save as many lives as possible," Sanchez told residents of the eastern Valencia and Castellon provinces.
King Felipe VI warned the emergency was "still not over" and national weather service AEMET put parts of eastern and southern regions on high alert levels for rain on Thursday.
Flags flew at half-mast on government buildings and minutes of silence were observed nationwide at the start of three days of national mourning after Spain's deadliest floods in decades.