Catalonia faces the worst phase of the storm: maximum warning for hail, gusts of more than 90 km/h and possible tornadoes

INUNCAT is the Special Emergency Plan for Floods in Catalonia. It is the Civil Protection instrument of the Generalitat to prevent, prepare, and coordinate the response to episodes of intense rain, river and stream rises, and floods that may affect the entire Catalan territory.

What INUNCAT is and what it is for

According to documentation from the Generalitat itself and the Síndic de Greuges, INUNCAT is the framework plan that encompasses the planning and response measures against floods in Catalonia, both at the regional and local levels. At the municipal level, these emergencies are developed through the municipal civil protection plans included in the Document Únic de Protecció Civil Municipal (DUPROCIM), which must exist in municipalities with very high, high, or medium flood risk, or affected by nearby dams and reservoirs (summary by the Síndic).

The plan establishes:

• The command and coordination organization (Protecció Civil, CECAT, security forces, emergency services, infrastructure managers, hydrographic confederations, etc.).
• The meteorological and hydrological monitoring protocols, based on warnings from the Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya (Meteocat) and basin organizations.
• The population warning procedures and recommendations for preventive measures (closure of access to flood-prone areas, mobility restrictions, etc.), visible in the official notes from the Generalitat (note from 07/06/2024 and note from 11/12/2024).

Flood risks covered

From the official notes and information from Protecció Civil, it is clear that INUNCAT covers in an integrated manner:

• Pluvial floods caused by very intense or torrential rains, with reference thresholds such as more than 20 or 40 liters per square meter in 30 minutes, which can cause rapid water accumulation in streets, underpasses, and low areas (note from 03/05/2025).
• Sudden rises of streams, torrents, and ravines, highly emphasized in alert messages, where it is stressed not to approach or cross them, either on foot or by vehicle.
• Fluvial floods associated with large watercourses and rain accumulation in basins, in coordination with hydrographic confederations (for example, the CHE, mentioned in official warnings).
• Scenarios linked to dams and reservoirs, which are integrated into INUNCAT through the correspondence between dam emergency plans and the levels of the regional plan (workshop on Baserca and Llauset dams).

Phases or activation levels of INUNCAT

The practical operation of the plan is seen in the activations and deactivations published by Protección Civil. In summary, the levels are:

1. Pre-alert phase

This is a phase of enhanced monitoring and surveillance. It is used when forecasts point to possible episodes of intense rain or rises, but without an imminent or widespread risk yet. In this phase:

• Protecció Civil and Meteocat carry out close monitoring of the meteorological and hydrological situation.
• Municipalities, emergency services, and infrastructure managers are informed and mobilized preventively, reviewing their devices.
• A high-risk message is not always yet conveyed to the population, but general prudence recommendations begin to be disseminated.

Official notes show situations where, after deactivating the alert, the plan remains in pre-alert while some forecast of intense showers persists (example from 10/17/2024).

2. Alert phase

This level is activated when, based on warnings from Meteocat and basin organizations, a relevant flood risk is estimated due to intense rains, water accumulation, waves, or sudden rises. It is the level most frequently appearing in press notes:

• The INUNCAT alert phase is declared to apply more safety measures and act preventively (11/12/2024).
• The plan's technical committee is convened, involving emergency bodies, basin organizations, infrastructure managers, and other key operators.
• Measures such as closure of access to flood-prone areas, mobility restrictions, suspension of outdoor activities, and reinforcement of essential services are recommended and, if necessary, ordered.
• The population receives specific self-protection advice: avoid streams and underpasses, do not park in flood-prone spots, do not go down to garages or basements during the flood, secure oneself in high areas of the home, etc. (note from 07/06/2024).

3. Emergency phase

Although the notes consulted emphasize that, in certain episodes, it is not expected to move to the emergency phase, the Minister of Interior and Public Security explicitly refers to this possibility, indicating that the plan contemplates a higher level for episodes with severe damage or very high risk. In this phase:

• The flood is considered to be causing or may cause significant damage to people and property.
• Emergency resources are fully deployed and all regional and local means are coordinated under the plan's direction.
• Exceptional population protection measures may be taken (evacuations, widespread road closures, generalized suspension of activities, etc.).

4. Deactivation and return to normality

Once the highest risk episode has ended and meteorological or hydrological thresholds are no longer exceeded, Protecció Civil deactivates the INUNCAT alert and, if applicable, maintains or not the pre-alert depending on the forecast of new rains (08/28/2025). In this phase, the incident assessment is carried out and recovery tasks are coordinated.

Overall, INUNCAT is the central piece of the Catalan civil protection system against floods: it establishes who does what, with what information, and when, from simple monitoring (pre-alert) to full emergency, passing through an alert phase that has become common in episodes of intense rains associated with climate change.

The Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya (SMC or Meteocat) is the technical reference in Catalonia for the prediction and monitoring of adverse meteorological phenomena. Regarding alerts, its role is essential but focuses on analyzing risk and issuing meteorological warnings, not on deciding or activating Civil Protection alerts (emergency plans or ES‑Alert messages to mobiles).

1. Basic role of the SMC in alerts

According to official notes from the Generalitat and analysis of recent episodes:

• The SMC prepares the prediction and real-time monitoring of phenomena such as intense rains, snowfalls, very strong winds, heat waves, or maritime storms.
• It issues Dangerous Meteorological Situation warnings, graded by intensity and probability levels (for example, risks due to intense rain or wind with thresholds like >20 l/m² in 30 minutes, >40 l/m² in 30 minutes, etc.), as reflected in INUNCAT and VENTCAT notes (note about INUNCAT, note about VENTCAT).
• It maintains continuous monitoring during the episode and can update warnings (for example, raising the risk level when it is forecasted that certain rain or wind thresholds will be exceeded).
• It disseminates this information through its own channels (Meteocat website and app), which allow consulting current warnings and configuring personalized risk notifications for rain, wind, snow, heat, cold, sea state, etc. (presentation of the Meteocat app).

2. Competencies related to Civil Protection plans (INUNCAT, NEUCAT, VENTCAT…)

In the Generalitat's special emergency plans for meteorological risks (INUNCAT for floods, NEUCAT for snow, VENTCAT for wind, and others), SMC warnings have a direct effect:

• A guidance document on flood emergencies approved by the Govern specifies that, in Catalonia, Meteocat warnings are those that bind the Generalitat's Civil Protection plans, including INUNCAT and other plans related to meteorological risks (guidance on flood emergencies).
• That is, when the SMC issues a warning of a certain intensity or probability (for example, possibility of exceeding 40 l/m² in 30 minutes or wind gusts >90 km/h), that information is the technical basis for Civil Protection to decide to activate, maintain, or deactivate the pre-alert, alert, or emergency phase of the plans.
• Multiple official notes describe the scheme “SMC informs/warns – Protecció Civil activates the plan”: for example, Protección Civil activates the INUNCAT alert “according to information from the Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya” about the forecast of intense rains, or raises/deactivates VENTCAT when SMC updates the wind gust forecast.

Therefore, its competence is technical and decisive (because its warnings are the official reference triggering the plan mechanisms), but not executive (it is not the entity that formally activates the plan).

3. Coordination with Civil Protection and CECAT

The Directorate General of Civil Protection and the Catalonia Operational Coordination Center (CECAT) rely on the SMC to assess risk:

• The SMC transmits its forecasts and updates to CECAT, which convenes technical monitoring committees for episodes and coordinates the response with Firefighters, Mossos, health services, and other agencies.
• During these committee meetings, the Meteocat's management and prediction area present the expected evolution, intensity scenarios, and possible rapid changes in the phenomenon, allowing adjustment of plan phases and population recommendations.
• The Generalitat expressly reminds that the SMC does not have the competence to send ES‑Alert messages to mobile phones: this function corresponds to Civil Protection, which decides if, based on available information, the situation justifies a mass alert and what instructions it should contain (analysis on ES‑Alert and Meteocat).

4. Coordination with AEMET

In Catalonia, warnings from the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) coexist with those from the Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya:

• The Generalitat's guidance on flood emergencies explicitly states that companies and administrations must consider both AEMET and SMC warnings; however, in the Catalan case, it is emphasized that Meteocat warnings are used as the reference for the Generalitat's Civil Protection plans.
• In practice, this implies a technical coexistence and coordination: AEMET maintains its state warning system, but for activating regional plans like INUNCAT, NEUCAT, or VENTCAT, the Generalitat primarily follows the thresholds and warnings from the SMC.

In summary, the Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya has key competencies in prediction, monitoring, and meteorological risk warnings, and its warnings are the technical pillar supporting the activation of the main emergency plans for atmospheric phenomena in Catalonia. The decision to activate Civil Protection alerts – including sending ES‑Alert – lies, however, with Civil Protection bodies and CECAT, based on the information provided by the SMC.

In Catalonia, there is no single definition in basic legislation of a “maximum alert level for severe weather” as a closed label, but rather a system of civil protection plans (territorial and special) that are activated in phases in the face of adverse meteorological phenomena. The “maximum alert level” practically corresponds to the emergency phase of those plans (territorial PROCICAT and special plans such as those for floods, snow, wind, etc.), and its declaration must comply with the requirements of the Llei 4/1997, de protecció civil de Catalunya, and the Llei 15/2001, de meteorologia, among other sectoral regulations.

1. Basic legal framework in Catalonia

According to the Llei 4/1997, de 20 de maig, de protecció civil de Catalunya (consolidated text in force, Portal Jurídic de Catalunya), civil protection is structured through:

• Territorial plans and the Civil Protection Plan of Catalonia itself, which generally foresee emergencies that may occur in the territory (arts. 15 to 17).
• Special plans, which address specific risks requiring technical and scientific methods (art. 18), including floods and other natural risks.
• Municipal action and self-protection plans, coordinated with the above (arts. 17 and 19).

The Llei 4/1997 establishes that:

• The Civil Protection Plan of Catalonia must be approved by the Government of the Generalitat, upon proposal of the competent department and with a prior report from the Civil Protection Commission of Catalonia (art. 16).
• Special plans for specific risks are declared of interest to Catalonia and are also approved by the Government, with a prior report from the same Commission (art. 18).
• All plans must be coordinated and integrated to respond to situations of serious collective risk, catastrophe, or public calamity (art. 15.2).

2. Role of the meteorological service

The Llei 15/2001, de 14 de novembre, de meteorologia creates the Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya (Meteocat) as a public entity responsible for providing quality meteorological and climatic information and forecasts for the Generalitat and other administrations. The preamble and first articles highlight that:

• Meteorological risk situations must be monitored by quality meteorological services acting in coordination with the Centre d’Emergències de Catalunya (CECAT).
• Quality meteorological information is considered a public service and a reference for agencies with sectoral competencies.

This means that the technical basis for any declaration of maximum alert level for severe weather is the analysis of Meteocat's forecasts and warnings, in coordination with CECAT, and, if applicable, with the state meteorological authority (AEMET) through collaboration agreements provided by law.

3. Legal and procedural requirements for the maximum level

Based on this framework, the requirements to reach the maximum alert level (emergency phase of the plans) can be summarized as follows:

• Existence and prior approval of plans: the Civil Protection Plan of Catalonia and special plans for meteorological risks (floods, snow, wind, etc.) must be approved by the Govern and endorsed according to Llei 4/1997. They establish the phases (pre-alert, alert, emergency), competent bodies, and procedures.
• Technical risk assessment: entering the emergency phase requires that, according to criteria defined in each plan, there is:
  • A high probability of extreme meteorological phenomena (very intense rains, very strong winds, snow, severe storms, etc.) or
  • Ongoing damage reaching the threshold set for the emergency phase (serious impact on people, property, or essential services).
  This assessment is supported by Meteocat's warnings and forecasts, as provided by Llei 15/2001.
• Competence to declare the emergency phase: territorial and special plans designate the competent civil protection authorities (usually the plan's directing body, attached to the Department of Interior), who can declare the transition to the maximum phase.
• Inter-administrative coordination: according to Llei 4/1997, the response must coordinate:
  • The Generalitat, supra-municipal entities, and municipalities, through basic and municipal action plans (arts. 17 and 18).
  • Other competent administrations in health, roads, environment, etc., which must integrate civil protection needs into their legislation and actions (art. 14).
• Communication and resource activation: activating the maximum level involves:
  • Mobilization of human and material resources inventoried in the Civil Protection Plan of Catalonia (art. 16.2).
  • Activation of the population information mechanisms provided in the plans.
• Relation with the State: Llei 4/1997 recognizes that emergencies declared of “national interest” fall under state competence. In an extreme severe weather episode reaching that classification, the maximum Catalan alert would be integrated into the state civil protection system, with reinforced coordination.

The specific numerical thresholds (liters/m² of rain, wind speed, snow thickness, etc.) and the exact name of each phase are set in the special plans approved by decree and their technical annexes. Llei 4/1997 and Llei 15/2001 provide the legal framework: they require that the maximum phase be based on a technical risk assessment, declared by the designated authority, and activate an integrated and coordinated civil protection system throughout Catalonia.