Alert for the rain forecast: the Government asks to limit travel

BarcelonaCivil Protection and the Meteorological Service of Catalonia (Meteocat) have requested this Wednesday to limit travel as much as possible and to follow the evolution of the rain episode "minute by minute" throughout the afternoon, evening, and night due to the possibility of locally heavy or torrential downpours. It will be especially from the afternoon until nightfall that the downpours and storms will gain reach. For this reason, the executive branch urges being especially cautious when leaving work and during travel related to events such as the Barça match (9:30 PM).

For the moment, the rains have left more than 40 liters per square meter in half an hour in the Gironès region, according to Meteocat. The agency has issued a warning for intense rainfall observation exceeding this threshold in the area and has alerted that the downpours are very stationary. In some cases, they have been accompanied by hail. The Fire Department has registered around thirty service calls between three and six in the afternoon, mostly in Girona, due to leaks and water accumulation. In Fornells de la Selva, 48.6 liters were recorded in 30 minutes.

At 5:30 PM, rain gauges showed records such as the aforementioned 48.6 liters in Fornells de la Selva, 27.4 in la Bisbal d'Empordà, 26.1 in Banyoles, or 21.2 in Cassà de la Selva. In the northwest of the country, there have also been some notable figures, such as the 22.9 liters in Vielha.

The Government has not ruled out sending an ES-Alert if a danger situation for the public is detected. Civil Protection reminds of the basic self-protection tips in case of torrential rains, such as reducing travel to a minimum and trying to avoid flood-prone areas and crossing rivers and streams. In fact, at 6:15 p.m., the emergency management agency reported that due to persistent rains in the Girona regions, the Catalan Water Agency has issued a hydrological risk warning in the Ter basin. The Alert threshold of the Terri river in Cornellà de Terri has been exceeded with a maximum flow of 17 cubic meters per second, although subsequently the volume of water has decreased to 5.22.

Meteocat has activated yellow and orange alerts in all regions of Girona and Barcelona, as well as in Baix Penedès, Tarragonès, and Alt Camp, for accumulations of more than 40 l/m² in just half an hour. There is also an alert for accumulations of more than 60 or 90 l/m² in three hours in Barcelonès, Baix Llobregat, Garraf, Tarragonès, and Baix and Alt Penedès.

The deputy director of Prevention of Civil Protection, Joan Ramon Cabello, has explained that the Inuncat plan is activated in the alert phase and has recommended that, if travel is necessary, it should preferably be done via main roads and avoid low-lying areas, fords, and intersections with rivers and streams.

The head of the Prediction Area of Meteocat, Santi Segalà, has remarked that it is a situation "limited in time," with special attention during the afternoon, evening, and the early hours of the night, and has asked to consult the radars and the warnings from Meteocat. "It is a day to be vigilant" of the precipitation, he pointed out. Segalà has also appealed to citizen responsibility and recommended following official channels to track the rain episode.