Spanish Mediterranean braces for more intense rain and wind

Spain’s Mediterranean coast is bracing for more wind and rain on Wednesday after a new weather event moved into the area this week.

Catalonia, the Valencia region, Murcia and the Balearic Islands have been dealing with adverse weather conditions since Monday, when there was rainfall of 212mm in Barx (Valencia), 115mm in Oliva (Valencia) and 93mm in San Javier airport (Murcia).

The storm conditions are also bringing strong winds to the region. Cabo de Gata natural park in Almería registered wind speeds of up to 92km/h, while the wind gusted up to 82km/h in San Javier and 80km/h in Águilas (Murcia).

In southern Alicante, scenes of flooding and street debris reminded residents of the massive storm that hit them in September, when rivers burst their banks and caused widespread damage to property and crops. This time, the upper-level low (known popularly as DANA or gota fría, literally meaning “cold drop”) only brushed past the area, reducing its destructive power.

On Wednesday, 13 Spanish provinces were on alert for rain, wind, adverse sea conditions and even snow in places such as Teruel (Aragón), where it started to snow on Tuesday.

Some rain is also expected in Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha, with overcast skies elsewhere in Spain. The windy weather will continue to create hazardous sea conditions in the Mediterranean, with waves up to five meters high.

By Thursday, when many Spaniards will be hitting the roads for the long weekend marking Constitution Day, the weather is expected to start improving. But the AEMET national weather service said there will still be some intense rainfall in the early morning in northeastern Catalonia, the Balearics, southern Valencia and northern Alicante. The rainy weather is expected to move down to the Canary Islands.

The storm conditions are being caused by “a low-pressure system that affected the peninsula over the weekend and was reactivated when it reached the Mediterranean,” said AEMET spokesman Rubén del Campo. This low brings “an instability that turns rain into strong, stormy downpours.”

English version by Susana Urra.