The rain and storm weather system keeps a good part of the east and southeast of Spain on alert this Thursday. Intense rains particularly affect the Comunitat Valenciana, Región de Murcia, Andalucía, Cataluña, Baleares, and Castilla-La Mancha, where there are weather warnings of different levels and, in several territories, extraordinary civil protection devices.
The situation has a special impact in Valencia, where the precipitation on Wednesday left accumulations exceeding 100 liters per square meter in some points and caused numerous floods, cuts, and mobility problems. In Andalucía, the Junta has activated the emergency phase for floods in Almería, while in Cataluña a man has died after the vehicle he was driving was trapped by the water in Olivella (Barcelona).
Valencia concentrates a good part of the incidents
The Comunitat Valenciana faces one of the most complicated situations of the episode. According to data collected by Emergencias, by 11:00 PM on Wednesday, 478 incidents had been managed in the province of Valencia. The capital concentrated 214, followed by Torrent, with 45; l'Eliana, with 22; la Pobla de Vallbona and Moncada, with 16 each, and San Antonio de Benagéber, with 14.
The rains exceeded 100 liters per square meter at stations in l'Eliana, Chiva, and Torrent. In Torrent, 71 liters were recorded in just 30 minutes, while other localities in the metropolitan area also exceeded 70 liters in that same period. The Generalitat activated situation 1 of the Special Flood Plan and launched an ES-Alert to the northern and southern coast of the province due to the risk of flooding.
The episode also caused the interruption of the Metrovalencia lines, the closure of Valencia airport due to flooding, and the closure of tunnels in the capital. Valencia has suspended classes in its southern pedanías and Elche has done the same with all teaching activities. For this Thursday, AEMET maintains an orange alert for rains in areas of the Valencia and Alicante coast, with the possibility of accumulations of 60 liters per square meter in one hour and more than 120 in periods of two or three hours.
Murcia extends preventive measures
The Region of Murcia also maintains a risk situation due to the precipitation. The forecast has led to the suspension of educational activities until 3:00 PM in 15 municipalities and several districts of Murcia, including Águilas, Cartagena, Lorca, Mazarrón, San Javier, San Pedro del Pinatar, Torre Pacheco, and Totana.
The measure has also been extended to social centers and day centers for the elderly and people with disabilities in the affected localities. The decision responds to the risk associated with the rains expected during the first part of the day and seeks to reduce movements in the areas with greater exposure.
Almería activates the emergency phase
In Andalusia, the province of Almería concentrates the most delicate situation. The Junta activated the emergency phase, operational situation 1, of the Emergency Plan for Flood Risk in response to the orange and yellow alerts for rains and storms. Additionally, Pulpí, Huércal-Overa, and Cuevas del Almanzora have suspended in-person educational activities this Thursday and have closed parks and gardens.
AEMET maintains an orange alert in the Almerian Levante for precipitation that can reach 50 liters per square meter in one hour and 100 liters in twelve hours. There are also yellow alerts in Córdoba, Granada, Jaén, and Málaga for storms and intense precipitation.
Catalonia faces new rains after a complicated night
Catalonia is another of the most affected territories. The episode left incidents on roads and transportation services and forced the activation of Civil Protection alerts in different regions. In Olivella, the Bombers de la Generalitat located the lifeless body of a man whose vehicle had become trapped while trying to cross a stream. The body was found about 500 meters from the car, and the Mossos d'Esquadra confirmed that it was the driver.
The Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya maintains this Thursday the monitoring of the situation through its alert map, while precipitation and storms continue in different parts of the territory. The episode maintains special attention on areas where intense rains can generate sudden floods and water accumulations.
Balearic Islands and Castilla-La Mancha also activate their devices
In the Balearic Islands, Emergencies maintains the orange alert for rains and storms in all the islands and the yellow alert for coastal phenomena in Mallorca and Menorca. The Balearic Government expects two waves of storms during this Thursday: one in the early morning, with special impact on Ibiza and Formentera and the channel of Mallorca, and another from noon, which will first affect the Pitiusas and later Mallorca.
Castilla-La Mancha has also activated the METEOCAM in alert phase in Albacete, Ciudad Real, and Cuenca. The device responds to warnings for rains and storms, with an orange level in the regions of Albacete due to precipitation that can reach 30 liters per square meter in one hour, in addition to the risk of large hail and very strong gusts of wind.
The episode thus maintains a distribution especially concentrated in the eastern peninsula, the southeast, and the Balearic Islands. The evolution during this Thursday will depend on the trajectory of the precipitation bands and the intensity with which new storms form, while emergency services keep their devices active and recommend following the indications of each territory.