The downpours wreak havoc in Catalonia with out-of-service train lines and heavy hailstorms

BarcelonaThe storms this Thursday afternoon across Catalonia have caused havoc in the territory. According to the Meteorological Service of Catalonia (Meteocat), the downpours have locally discharged with torrential character. One of the most notable records occurred in Montsec, where 78.6 mm accumulated in three hours. The intensity of the storm has caused mobility problems. The first Rodalies line affected was the R3, interrupted between Vic and Ripoll due to a tree falling on the tracks. Lines R1, R2 nord, R11, RG1, R13, and R14 also stopped working, which led to traffic jams at various points on the road network. Around nine o'clock this Thursday night, however, some trains gradually resumed their usual frequency.

The emergency telephone 112 received 400 calls related to the storm, which resulted in 174 incidents. For their part, the Firefighters attended 190 calls. Most of the calls were for small floods in basements, fallen trees, and structural risks, concentrated mainly in Vallès Oriental (35% of cases), Bages (14%), and La Selva (10%).

One of the most affected populations has been Santa Coloma de Farners, which was without electricity supply for almost an hour. The blackout caused four people to be trapped in elevators and forced the Firefighters to carry out fourteen services in the municipality. The emergency services also intervened for flooding in basements, especially in the old town, and for falling trees on public roads.

The hailstorm also struck hard in various parts of the Girona region, especially in La Garrotxa. In Vall de Bianya, the hail caused damage to several vehicles and, in some cases, even broke the windows.

The storm also complicated traffic in Alt Urgell. Around 4:50 PM, a rockfall forced alternating traffic on the N-145, in Valls de Valira. According to the Catalan Traffic Service, the incident caused traffic jams of about four kilometers in both directions. In Brunyola, the C-63 road was closed in the direction of Girona due to puddles of water, and there were also incidents on other roads such as the C-25.

Hailstorm in the West

Meteocat issued a severe weather warning from eight in the evening until ten at night. According to the service, during that period there was a maximum risk of hailstones in Ponent, with stones larger than two centimeters in diameter, wind gusts of more than 25 meters per second, squalls, tornadoes, or waterspouts.