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

The same storm system that caused deadly flash 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 by Monday morning, the storm had moved northward, bringing severe conditions to the coastal areas of the city of Barcelona. The Catalan regional government issued alerts to residents in Barcelonès, Garraf, Maresme, and the two Vallès regions, advising them to limit movement to essential travel only.

Spain’s Civil Protection unit released a statement urging parents not to pick up their children from school, stressing that “schools are a safe place.” The statement underscores the importance of minimizing mobility. The AP-7 freeway is currently closed near Tarragona, highways leading into southern Barcelona are flooded, and the national rail 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 a tunnel. Barcelona’s El Prat Airport has also faced significant disruptions, with parts of its facilities flooded, resulting in delays. By midday Monday, 17 flights had been diverted. Airlines have canceled around 50 departures, according to airport reports. The national airport operator Aena has advised travelers to consult their airlines for updates, as the storm continues to cause delays. Access to the airport has been further complicated by road closures on the C-32, the suspension of train services, the L9 metro line, and the airport express bus.

Spain’s State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) issued a new red alert for Barcelona’s coast, forecasting up to 180 millimeters of rainfall over a 12-hour period, with Baix Llobregat and nearby areas forecast to be especially hit by the heavy rain.

The Catalan regional government issued a “regional alert” via mobile phone warning of “continuous and torrential” rainfall in the Barcelonès and Garraf regions at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, which was extended to Maresme, Vallès Oriental, and Vallès Occidental at 11:15 a.m. The multilingual alert (Catalan, Spanish, and English) urged residents to avoid travel, stay clear of streams and ravines — which could surge even without local rainfall — and warned of the risk of landslides.

Catalonia’s weather service Meteocat also released a statement indicating “maximum danger” in Barcelona’s coastal areas. Meteocat also warned of the possibility of severe weather, including hailstones exceeding two centimeters in diameter, tornadoes, and waterspouts. On Monday, Baix Llobregat, l’Anoia, Alt Penedès, Garraf (Barcelona), and Baix Penedès (Tarragona) were among the hardest-hit areas.

Renfe announced early Monday morning the suspension of all train services across the Rodalies network, with only trains already en route allowed to complete their journeys to their final destinations.

The University of Barcelona suspended classes, and Bellvitge Hospital canceled non-urgent afternoon activities due to the difficulties in accessing the facilities. Castelldefels, a coastal town near Barcelona, has been particularly affected, with the City Council closing all underpasses connecting the town center to beach neighborhoods due to flooding.

Overnight and into the early morning, heavy rainfall struck various localities in Tarragona. Civil Protection reported receiving 492 emergency calls, primarily from the city of Tarragona and surrounding areas, where heavy rainfall has led to flooding. Classes have been suspended across all schools in the province.

Early Monday morning, Civil Protection reported that the waterspout was advancing north along the coast toward Barcelona. Residents of Baix Llobregat, a region with 800,000 inhabitants bordering greater Barcelona, received a danger alert on their cell phones warning of potential “torrential rains.” The alert warned residents to take extreme caution and limit travel. The premier of Catalonia, Salvador Illa, emphasized the need for “maximum caution” and reminded the public that the alert remains active.

Last week, the DANA (isolated high-altitude depression) hit Valencia, delivering a year’s worth of rainfall in just a few hours. Five days later, the death toll from the historic flash floods in Spain continues to rise, reaching 215 on Monday morning.

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