Barcelona on red alert for severe weather: Flights canceled and trains suspended

The same storm pattern that caused deadly flooding in Spain’s Valencia region hit the province of Barcelona on Monday. Heavy rain and strong winds affected the province of Tarragona overnight, and on Monday morning, the storm moved north, bringing bad conditions to the coastal areas of the city of Barcelona. The Catalan regional government has issued warnings to residents of Barcelonès, Garraf, Maresme and the two regions of Vallès, advising them to limit movement to essential trips only.

Spain’s Social Security Agency released a statement urging parents not to pick up their children from school, stressing that “schools are a safe place.” The statement emphasizes the importance of limiting movement. The AP-7 freeway remains closed near Tarragona, main roads south to Barcelona are flooded, and national train operator Renfe has suspended train services across Catalonia.

The AVE high-speed train service between Tarragona and Barcelona has been suspended due to flooding in the tunnel. Barcelona’s El Prat airport is also facing major disruptions, with parts of its facilities flooded, causing delays. By midday Monday, 17 flights had been diverted. Airlines have canceled about 50 flights, according to airport reports. Airport official Aena advised travelers to check with their airlines for updates, as the storm continues to cause delays. Access to the airport has been made more difficult by road closures on C-32, the suspension of train services, the L9 metro and the airport bus.

The Spanish Meteorological Agency (Aemet) has issued a new red warning for the coast of Barcelona, ​​​​​​predicting that the rain could reach 180 mm in a period of 12 hours, and Baix Llobregat and surrounding areas are predicted to be hit hard by heavy rain.

The Catalan regional government issued a “regional alert” on the hotline of “continuous and torrential” rain in the regions of Barcelonès and Garraf at 10:30 am on Tuesday, which was extended to Maresme, Vallès Oriental and Vallès Occidental at 11:15 a.m. A multilingual alert (Catalan, Spanish and English) urged residents to avoid travel, to avoid streams and ravines – which can hold even without local rain – and warned of landslide risk.

The weather service of Catalonia Meteocat has also released a statement indicating “high risk” in the coastal areas of Barcelona. Meteocat also warned of the possibility of severe weather, including hail more than two inches wide, tornadoes and water drops. On Monday, Baix Llobregat, Anoia, Alt Penedès, Garraf (Barcelona) and Baix Penedès (Tarragona) were among the most affected areas.

Renfe announced on Monday morning the suspension of all train services throughout the Rodalies network, with only trains already on the road allowed to complete their journeys to their destinations.

The University of Barcelona suspended classes, and Bellvitge Hospital canceled non-emergency afternoon services due to problems accessing services. Castelldefels, a coastal town near Barcelona, ​​has been particularly affected, with the City Council closing all underground roads connecting the city to the coastal areas due to flooding. .

During the night and in the morning, heavy rain fell in different areas of Tarragona. The Civil Protection reports receiving 492 emergency calls, mainly from the city of Tarragona and nearby areas, where heavy rain has led to flooding. Classes have been suspended in all schools in the province.

In the early hours of Monday morning, the Civil Defense reported that the current is moving north along the coast towards Barcelona. Residents of Baix Llobregat, an area with 800,000 inhabitants on the border of greater Barcelona, ​​received a danger alert on their cellphones warning of possible “heavy rain”. The alert warned residents to be extra cautious and limit travel. The Prime Minister of Catalonia, Salvador Illa, stressed the need for “great vigilance” and reminded the public that vigilance is still in effect.

Last week, DANA (an isolated high-altitude depression) hit Valencia, giving the spring rain in just a few hours. Five days later, the death toll from Spain’s historic floods continues to rise, reaching 215 on Monday morning.

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