Storm cyclone hits Spain amid maximum alerts and lockdown orders

Storm surge and maximum alerts in Spain

Heavy rainfall and strong thunderstorms have swept through several Spanish cities, turning streets into flowing rivers. Meteorological agencies have declared a state of maximum alert to face the risks of ongoing flooding that is expected to continue until October 5th, according to field reports.

Total paralysis and flooding in Catalonia and Barcelona

Media outlets reported that flash floods turned the streets of Santa Barbara in the Catalonia region into roaring waterways. This climate escalation follows violent mud floods that previously struck Barcelona, where water submerged large parts of the subway network and damaged infrastructure, before rains returned with renewed intensity in the Ebro lands since the early hours of the morning.

Emergency measures and immediate lockdown

Following these dangerous developments, the meteorological service in Catalonia issued two urgent warnings; the first concerns the intensity of the rainfall, while the second imposes an immediate lockdown on residents of the Baix Ebre and Montsià regions. Official alerts sent via mobile phones indicated that the danger level had reached its maximum, with forecasts of more than 90 liters of rain per square meter in just three hours.

Strict guidelines from Civil Protection

For its part, the Spanish Civil Protection was quick to issue strict advice to residents, demanding they do not leave their homes under any circumstances, and urging them to move to higher floors in case of any potential water leakage to the ground floors, in order to avoid the loss of life.

Red alerts nationwide

At the national level, the Spanish meteorological agency pointed to the continued heavy rainfall and thunderstorms accompanied by hail in several provinces, keeping the regions of Valencia and Tarragona under red alert. These warnings included about ten autonomous regions, with red and orange alerts imposed in Catalonia and Valencia, in addition to varying levels of warnings in Andalusia, the Balearic Islands, Murcia, Aragon, Castile-La Mancha, Castile and León, Madrid, and Extremadura, amidst a state of comprehensive alert.