Risk of severe wind, waves and snow leaves 20 provinces on alert

The northern regions of Cantabria and Asturias and the Basque Country provinces of Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia remained on orange weather alert Tuesday due to a significant risk of large waves battering the coastline, the national weather agency Aemet reported.

Further west, Galicia also braced itself for hazardous sea conditions, as did the Andalusian provinces of Almería and Granada, and the Balearic and Canary Islands.

In total, 20 Spanish provinces are on yellow or orange alert for adverse weather involving wind, rain or snow. In the northern region of Cantabria, giant swells have already flooded seaside promenades, streets and ground-level homes and business premises.

Huesca province is on orange alert for snowfall that could reach 25 centimeters and winds of up to 100 km/h. Authorities have issued warnings about the risk of the Ebro and Duero rivers overflowing.

Northern Spain on weather alert

The Catalan province of Lleida is on orange alert for snow, with Vall d’Aran, which is home to the popular Pyrenees ski resort of Baqueira Beret, expecting 25 centimeters of snow.

Strong winds and/or adverse sea conditions were also expected in the Valencia, Madrid and Murcia regions, as well as Guadalajara province and the North African exclave of Melilla.