The Community of Madrid has activated the Special Civil Protection Plan against the Risk of Floods (INUNCAM) in response to the instability episode affecting the region during this weekend. The measure began on Saturday, October 3, as a preventive action due to forecasts of intense rainfall and storms, but during the night, the Madrid 112 Security and Emergency Agency raised the device to Operational Situation 0, the first level within the emergency phase of the plan. This situation is contemplated when there is an imminent risk of flooding or when localized incidents are already occurring that can be addressed with municipal or regional resources.
The activation coincides with a rainfall episode that continues this Sunday, October 4. AEMET maintains a special warning for very strong and persistent showers and storms and forecasts a 100% probability of precipitation for Madrid during part of the afternoon, accompanied by a high probability of storms. In the capital, the hourly forecast even contemplates significant accumulations in short periods and gusts of wind that may intensify during storm cores.
The Sierra, one of the most exposed areas
The greatest precautions are concentrated in the Sierra de Madrid, where AEMET expects generally moderate rains and showers that may reach strong intensity in localized areas and be accompanied by storms and hail. The Guadarrama and Somosierra mountains present cloudy or very cloudy skies this Sunday and periods in which visibility may be reduced, so conditions may become particularly complicated on secondary roads, riverbeds, and mountainous areas.
In the metropolitan area, instability also persists. For Madrid capital, AEMET forecasts a very cloudy afternoon with storms, while precipitation will continue during the first days of the next week. On Monday, there is still a risk of rain, and on Tuesday, the probability returns to very high values, so the episode will not necessarily end with the conclusion of the weekend.
What it means to activate the INUNCAM
The INUNCAM is the instrument of the Community of Madrid to coordinate the response to possible floods. Its pre-emergency phase is used when the available information indicates that risk situations could occur, while the Operational Situation 0 is activated when a flood is imminent or has already been recorded in a localized manner and can be managed with the resources available at the municipal or regional level.
The plan allows for the coordination of Madrid 112, firefighters, town halls, and other emergency services, in addition to keeping channels, roads, and especially vulnerable points under surveillance. The activation does not necessarily imply that widespread flooding has occurred, but rather that the administrations raise the level of preparedness in anticipation of the possibility that precipitation may cause incidents.
Emergencies asks to avoid floodable areas
In the face of such episodes, Emergencies recommends only following information from official sources, exercising extreme caution while driving, and avoiding crossing roads or paths covered by water. The Community also reminds that one should not attempt to cross a channel even if it seems to have little depth, as the force of the current can increase rapidly during a storm.
In homes located in potentially floodable areas, it is advised to remove objects from basements and low areas, keep drains and channels clean, and stay away from rivers, ravines, and dry riverbeds during periods of heavy rainfall. The 112 should be reserved for emergency situations, while the meteorological evolution can be followed through AEMET and the official channels of Madrid 112.
Instability will continue after the weekend
Although the warnings initially communicated for Saturday ended early Sunday morning, the weather forecast has continued to evolve. AEMET maintains on this October 4 the risk of precipitation and storms and predicts that rain will continue at the beginning of the week, with a probability of 100% in several stretches on Monday and Tuesday in Madrid capital.
The Community therefore maintains vigilance in the face of an episode that has already led to the activation of the INUNCAM in Operational Situation 0. Attention is particularly focused on the Sierra and those points where intense rains may cause rapid accumulations of water, rises in channels, or problems in circulation.