Civil Protection asks people to bring forward their return home at Christmas and delay it for Boxing Day due to bad weather.
The government is urging extreme caution along the coast, and seventeen roads are still affected by snow at night.
BarcelonaCivil Protection maintains the Inuncat plan on alert due to the severe weather, and Deputy Director Imma Solé has asked people to bring forward any road trips on Christmas Day and return home "as soon as possible," as well as postpone them on Boxing Day (Sant Esteve) due to the storm of rain, snow, and high waves affecting much of the country. "The sooner we can return home, the better, because the later in the afternoon, the more intense this storm will become," Solé stated in a press conference from the Operational Coordination Center of Catalonia (CECAT). The forecast is that between 200 and 250 liters of rain could accumulate during the period of rainfall between Thursday and Friday, especially in the northeast of the country, and that, at specific times, the intensity could reach 20 liters in 30 minutes. All of this will primarily affect the rivers in the northern part of the region, such as the Ter, Fluvià, Muga, Tordera, Foix, and Llobregat. Therefore, Solé has asked people to prioritize using main roads for travel and avoid crossing streams. Heavy swells are also expected this Thursday, and Solé has warned that the average wave height will be four meters, but that they could reach 10 meters. For this reason, an ES-Alert was sent at 11:00 AM to the mobile phones of the 19 coastal municipalities of Alt and Baix Empordà. Although it will be especially severe in the Empordà, this maritime storm is expected to be strong as far south as the Garraf region.
Ahead of this Friday, emergency services are urging the public to take extreme precautions, respect access closures to coastal areas, and stay away from breakwaters, jetties, and promenades. They also ask that people call 112 in case of emergency.
Some municipalities have taken measures in response to this situation, such as Castell d'Aro, Platja d'Aro, and S'Agaró. The municipality has decided to close and prohibit access to the entire Platja d'Aro promenade, as well as access to all coves and coastal paths along the seafront. It has also issued a warning to the Port d'Aro Nautical Club to close and prohibit access to the marina's breakwater, and on Wednesday, work was carried out to clear the mouth of the Ridaura River, removing the sand that had accumulated on the beach.
White Catalonia
Regarding the snowfall, Solé stated that snow could be seen above 300 meters and in significant accumulations in the Pyrenees, especially in Ripollès, in areas like Vallter and the Núria Valley, and in Priorat, the Central Plateau, the interior of the Ebro Valley, and the southern Pre-coastal region. By midday, snow had already affected about thirty roads, mostly mountain roads in Lleida, but also some in Girona and Barcelona. Chains were required on about twenty of them, while the Catalan Traffic Service had issued caution notices for eight others due to snow and ice on the road. Additionally, one road had restrictions on third-category vehicles. However, by nightfall, the number of affected roads had decreased to seventeen. Specifically, there are six roads where snow chains are mandatory, ten of which have warnings about the presence of snow and ice on the road, and one closed due to wind. In Girona, there is a restriction for third-category vehicles on the GIV-4016 at the Toses pass, and in Barcelona, the BV-4024 has been closed due to snow and wind at the Pal pass. At 7:30 p.m., the six roads where snow chains were required were the C-28 between Naut Aran and Alt Àneu, the C-38 in Molló, the C-462 between Coma i la Pedra and Josa i Tuixén, the C-563 in Josa and Josa i Tuixén, and the C-563 in Josa and Josa i Tuixén. Guils de Cerdanya and on the paved road between the GI-400 and Toses.
As for the roads with snow or ice on the road, they were the L-701 in Juncosa, the L-911 between Isona and Conca Dellà and Gavet de la Conca, on the LP-4033b and the LP-4033a in Bellver de Cerdanya, on the LP Ulldemolins, on the LV-4036 in Lles de Cerdanya, in the LV-4037 in Prullans, on the LV.4241 between Lladurs and Guixers, on the LV-5052 in Vielha e Mijaran and on the LV-5055 between Vielha and Mija. Finally, it should be noted that a road was closed due to the windstorm: the BV-4024 between Guardiola de Berguedà and Bagà, a four-kilometer stretch, between the 17th and 21st. The Tor de Querol railway line in France was closed between Ripoll and Puigcerdà due to adverse weather conditions. Furthermore, the railway company indicated that no alternative road service could be provided to cover the section. Around 4:00 PM, service resumed with delays.
