Strong winds across almost all of Catalonia and hurricane-force gusts in the Valencian Community this Saturday
The Government is not making any general suspensions, but is urging local councils to guarantee the safety of the Carnival parades.
ValenciaThe strong winds will not let up, although no life-threatening situations are expected. This Saturday, the weather forecast predicts strong gusts of mistral and tramontana winds, which could exceed 80 or 100 km/h, and which will mainly affect the Camp de Tarragona, Terres de l'Ebre, Empordà, and the surrounding areas. The wind will also blow intensely in Ponent, southern Central Catalonia, and part of the Barcelona area, but it will reach hurricane-force levels in the Valencian Community, specifically throughout the Castellón region.
Civil Protection assures that the wind episode forecast for Saturday in Catalonia is not "comparable" to Thursday's, but warns of the ongoing risk and urges people "not to let their guard down." This was stated to the media by the Deputy Director of Civil Protection Programs, Sergio Delgado, who indicated that no trees or structural elements are expected to fall on Saturday, which could pose a "life-threatening" risk to people. This second wind episode will occur during Carnival, when various celebrations and parades are planned. Although the Catalan government will not implement a general suspension of activities as it did on Thursday, Civil Protection believes that each municipality should "fine-tune" the conditions under which Carnival will be celebrated. "We have 24 hours to make adjustments that adapt to the reality of each municipality," Delgado pointed out, such as reinforcing the safety of the routes.
In this regard, the Catalan Minister of the Interior, Núria Parlon, has urged municipalities to "adjust the routes or shorten the Carnival parades" in anticipation of new gusts of wind. Despite acknowledging that the expected wind event will not be as violent as Thursday's, Parlon stressed the importance of "remaining prepared" and adopting safety measures. She therefore requested that local authorities in areas where stronger gusts are expected analyze the "most vulnerable elements" and take the necessary steps to guarantee public safety, as was done with the Three Kings' Day parades. Delgado clarified that restrictions or a general suspension of parades are not being considered, but rather recommendations. For example, if the wind blows more strongly in an area of the municipality through which the parade passes, it would be advisable to adjust the route so that it does not go through that area, she explained. Alternatively, fences can be removed if there is construction work, or other measures can be taken to adapt to the weather conditions.
"Very serious" impacts in Castellón
The State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) has raised the alert level to red for strong winds this Saturday due to the risk of hurricane-force gusts that could exceed 140 km/h in Castellón. This level implies "extraordinary danger" and that property and vulnerable populations, or those in exposed areas, could suffer "very serious or catastrophic" impacts. The mistral wind will also hit at times with gusts of up to 150 km/h.
The alert for the rest of the Valencian Community has been raised to orange level for gusts that could exceed 90 km/h and even reach 100 km/h. Only the southeasternmost part of the Valencia region will be outside the highest-risk areas, where the alert level will be yellow. The force of the wind, which will affect both the coastal and inland areas, implies "extraordinary danger" with the possibility of falling branches, trees, and cornices, among other things. In addition to the wind, the warning also alerts to the risk of coastal phenomena and advises against approaching the sea.
The Valencian regional government has issued a series of recommendations, such as not walking under scaffolding or buildings under construction, avoiding tree-lined streets or parks, using public transport, and staying away from light poles and high-voltage power lines. In addition to the red alert, and due to strong winds, the Valencian Community has also been warned to be at extreme risk of fire, and that lighting any fires or carrying out any mechanical work in forest areas is prohibited. The red alert is expected to continue throughout Saturday, changing to orange in the Castellón region on Sunday, yellow in the Valencia region, and leaving Alicante without any alerts.