Strong winds across almost all of Catalonia and hurricane-force gusts in the Valencian Community this Saturday

ValenciaThe strong winds will not let up. This Saturday, weather forecasts predict powerful gusts of mistral and tramontana winds, which could exceed 80 or 100 km/h, affecting mainly the Camp de Tarragona, Terres de l'Ebre, Empordà, and the Pyrenees peaks. The wind will also blow intensely in Ponent, southern Central Catalonia, and parts of the Barcelona area, but it will reach hurricane-force levels in the Valencian Community, specifically throughout the Castellón region.

The Catalan Minister of the Interior, Núria Parlon, has urged municipalities across Catalonia to "adjust or shorten the routes of Carnival parades" in anticipation of renewed gusts of wind. While acknowledging that the expected windstorm will not be as violent as Thursday's, Parlon stressed the importance of "remaining prepared" and adopting safety measures.

In this regard, the regional minister has asked local authorities in areas where stronger gusts are expected to analyze the "most vulnerable elements" and take the necessary measures to guarantee public safety, as was done with the Three Kings' Day parades.

"Extraordinary danger" in the Valencian Community

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.