Classes suspended this Wednesday in five regions due to intense rain

BarcelonaThe Government has restricted non-essential mobility during this Wednesday and has suspended classes and non-urgent healthcare activity in Garraf, Vallès Occidental, Baix Llobregat, Alt Penedès, and Baix Penedès due to the forecast of very intense rainfall. The Minister of Interior, Núria Parlon, has announced that this Tuesday afternoon they will send an ES-Alert message to mobile phones in these five regions to warn of the downpours and restrictions, which will involve suspending classes on the second day of the school year, which began this Tuesday amidst a teachers' strike.

The Catalan Executive has warned that the risk is increasing due to heavy precipitation early this morning in three of the warned regions: Alt Penedès, Baix Penedès, and Garraf. Civil Protection has sent an Es-Alert message to the mobile phones of the population in these three regions to warn them of the new situation, in which it is recommended to avoid travel and getting close to rivers, streams, and ravines.

In addition to educational and university activity, other non-essential services are suspended and mobility will be restricted, except in cases of force majeure, on Wednesday from seven in the morning until five in the afternoon, which is the timeframe calculated for the impact of the downpours. In fact, the executive branch requests teleworking whenever possible.

On the other hand, the governing chamber of the High Court of Justice of Catalonia (TSJC) has also agreed to suspend the activity of 14 judicial districts due to the risk of torrential rains that will affect a large part of the country this Wednesday. Specifically, the workday is cancelled in Martorell, Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Cornellà, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Esplugues, Gavà, el Prat de Llobregat, Terrassa, Sabadell, Rubí, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Vilafranca del Penedès, Vilanova i la Geltrú, and el Vendrell. The suspension will remain in effect until the mobility restriction ordered by the Government for the general population is lifted, and the affected judicial proceedings will be rescheduled with "absolute" priority over any other pending scheduled act. However, all those judicial activities that, if not performed, could cause "irreparable damage" will be maintained. At the same time, actions involving detainees or prisoners, urgent actions regarding penitentiary surveillance, urgent trials, or processes in which the violation of fundamental rights is alleged are also maintained.

During the ten hours that the restrictions will last, outdoor sports activities cannot be carried out in the affected regions, and basic and specialized social services, as well as non-urgent healthcare activity, are also suspended.

Storms, hail, and heavy rain

The passage of a front will cause an increase in instability this Wednesday, with the formation of showers and storms that will be locally intense and accompanied by hail or graupel and violent weather phenomena in some cases. Meteorological models point to downpours that during the morning will affect the central coast and pre-coastal areas and points of the eastern Pyrenees and the Girona regions, with accumulations that could exceed 80 or 100 mm where they remain more stationary.

These are precipitations of a similar character to those that discharged a few weeks ago between Baix Penedès and Tarragonès, with the capacity to accumulate a lot of water in a short time and in a reduced geographical area. During the afternoon, showers will repeat in the eastern half, although without the intensity and extent of those in the morning.