Storm Kristin hits Spain hard: 170 roads affected and cars trapped on the A6 motorway in Madrid due to snow

BarcelonaThe unsettled weather continues unabated, and the Iberian Peninsula has already suffered the effects of up to six major storms over the past month. The latest is Storm KristinThe snowfall is significantly complicating the weather situation across the country this Wednesday. Snow, rain, and strong gusts of wind have triggered alerts in all autonomous communities except Navarre and the Canary Islands. The snowfall is particularly disrupting travel: in Madrid, the A-6 highway is closed to traffic between Guadarrama and Aravaca, and dozens of vehicles are stranded in the area. In total, more than 170 roads are affected nationwide, several at the red alert level (closed due to trucks and requiring the use of snow chains) in Ávila and Segovia, and between Cáceres and Salamanca.

A runway closure at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport is causing delays to several flights, and the rail network is also experiencing delays and cancellations. Specifically, between Madrid and Barcelona, ​​trains are traveling at 160 kilometers per hour on the section between Guadalajara and Calatayud due to snow, and the first trains are experiencing delays of between 70 and 120 minutes. Adif has also warned of possible delays on the Madrid commuter rail network.

The storm forecast

Rain is sweeping across much of the Iberian Peninsula from west to east, and the snow level has plummeted due to the arrival of a mass of cold air accompanying the front. The snow is particularly affecting the Community of Madrid, Castile and León, and Castile-La Mancha, with the snow level dropping to around 600 or 700 meters.

Between Wednesday and Thursday, we'll see snow from 600 meters above sea level in the central Iberian Peninsula, heavy rain in the south, and potentially hurricane-force winds and waves exceeding 8 meters in Galicia. The snowfall is intense and has even reached the capital: several neighborhoods in Madrid are turning white, especially in the north and west of the city. The snow is falling heavily, particularly in most mountain ranges, although this time the Pyrenees remain largely unaffected by the storm.

Regarding rainfall, the most significant downpours are currently affecting central and, especially, southern Spain, with torrential rains particularly in Andalusia and Castilla-La Mancha that could locally exceed 70 liters per square meter in just 12 hours. Furthermore, strong westerly winds are producing gusts of over 100 km/h in many regions, especially in the southern half. Aemet (the Spanish State Meteorological Agency) has issued numerous weather alerts, primarily for snow, rain, and strong winds. In Catalonia, this storm is arriving with a much weaker intensity, with light showers expected until the afternoon in the southern half and the western part of the region, intermittent winds, and snow above 700 or 800 meters in Els Ports and the Prades Mountains.