The downpours in the Barcelona area suddenly cause the flow of rivers and streams to rise.

BarcelonaThe intense rainfall that fell this Saturday in the Barcelona area reached more than 100 liters per square meter in the municipalities of Baix Llobregat and Vallès Occidental. All this water has dangerously increased the flow of rivers and streams and caused minor flooding, although no one has been injured by the storm so far.

The passage of a front of intense, and even violent, rainfall in some places, along with the associated wind, has left unprecedented records, such as 26.1 liters per square meter in 5 minutes in La Quar (Berguedà). Around midday and in the early afternoon, this front moved towards the coast and pre-coastline, leaving torrential rain in the regions of Anoia, Vallès Occidental and Oriental, Baix Llobregat, Barcelonès, and Maresme.

The Meteocat service has reported that its Castellbisbal station (Vallès Occidental) has accumulated 95 liters per square meter, with a maximum intensity of 37.6 liters in 30 minutes. The storm, which also left havoc in some places, began near Montserrat and crossed the entire Vallès Occidental, with a high level of electrical activity. Meanwhile, coastal towns have seen several storm surges.

River rise and flooding

According to the Catalan Water Agency (ACA), the rains caused streams such as the Rubí River to exceed the alert threshold: it reached 155 cubic meters per second at the Papiol River (Baix Llobregat), when at midday it had dropped to 0.5 cubic meters. The Ripoll River, in the Montcada i Reixac section, also carried a flow of 43 cubic meters per second this afternoon.

The water has also flooded some streets, ground floors and garages, and even some campsites. In Torroella de Montgrí (Baix Empordà), the El Delfín Verde campsite was flooded, and some campers reported waking up to knee-deep water. Water has also entered the ground floor of the Martorell Hospital. The emergency line 112 has received, by mid-afternoon, 800 calls related to 500 incidents caused by the rainfall.

The storms have also caused delays at El Prat Airport and several problems on the Catalan road network. The water has rendered several sections of the AP-7 motorway impassable in the Barcelona area, in addition to the N-II, which has hampered traffic during the afternoon. Other roads have suffered partial closures in some lanes due to accumulated water, large puddles, or landslides.

The Deputy Director of Civil Protection, Imma Solé, has called for caution, especially in areas near rivers and streams, after the rainy season, which is expected to stop tonight. Solé has called for special vigilance along the Llobregat and Besòs rivers. The President of the Generalitat (Catalan Government), Salvador Illa, has also asked the public to heed the authorities' recommendations and exercise extreme caution.