Fresh forecast of snow, showers leaves 33 Spanish provinces on alert

A fresh wave of cold weather is expected to leave much of Spain with a blanket of snow today, in particular in areas above 300 meters of altitude in the north of the peninsula and 600 meters in the southeast. Temperatures are also expected to fall, with rain forecast on the northern coast and strong winds throughout.

According to the AEMET state meteorological agency, 33 Spanish provinces will be on alert for snow today, of which eight will see an orange alert, the second highest. The provinces are: Cantabria, Palencia, Soria, Barcelona, Navarre, and the entire Basque Country. There will be 20 centimeters of snow in Cantabria and León, 18 centimeters in Navarre, 16 centimeters in the Basque Country and five centimeters in Barcelona.

Temperatures are expected to fall, with rain forecast on the northern coast and strong winds throughout

Asturias, meanwhile, is on red alert, the highest of the three warning levels issued by AEMET. As much as 45 centimeters of snow is forecast for Cordillera and the Picos de Europa mountain range, with 20 centimeters likely to fall in the southwest of the area and 15 centimeters in central parts.

Snowfall is forecast in the majority of provincial capitals in the north of the Iberian peninsula.

Yellow warnings have been issued for Granada, Jaén, Aragón, Albacete, Cuenca, Guadalajara, Ávila, Burgos, León, Salamanca, Segovia, Zamora, the rest of Catalonia, Madrid, Castellón, Cáceres, Lugo, Ourense, La Rioja and Murcia. What’s more, there are 24 yellow warnings for wind, covering Almería, Cádiz, Granada, Jaén, Málaga, Cantabria, Albacete, Ciudad Real, Toledo, Ávila, León, Palencia, Salamanca, Segovia, Tarragona, Madrid, Castellón, Valencia, Extremadura, Ibiza and Formentera, La Rioja, Asturias and Murcia.

The AEMET forecast also predicts grey skies for much of the peninsula, with rain showers spreading from the west as the day progresses.

Temperatures will fall during the day in the northwest and the center of the peninsula, with frost expected in the north, particularly in mountainous areas.

English version by Simon Hunter.