The government is suspending classes in schools and universities and non-urgent health activities tomorrow due to strong winds

BarcelonaThe strong westerly winds forecast for the coming hours will bring Catalonia to a standstill this Thursday. The Minister of the Interior, Núria Parlon, has announced the suspension of all educational and university activities tomorrow, as well as non-urgent healthcare and all sporting activities—both individual and team—in open spaces, natural parks, and urban gardens. The resolution, to be signed by the Catalan Government, will be in effect from midnight on Thursday until 8:00 PM the same day.

The Catalan Government is urging extreme caution due to the passage of the Atlantic storm.NilesThis is the eighth major wind event of the year in the country, and authorities recommend avoiding all non-essential travel by any means of transport. They also advise minimizing outdoor activities and recommend working from home whenever possible given the widespread winds. This afternoon, the Civil Protection agency will issue an ES-Alert to inform the public about the situation and explain the preventative measures that will be implemented. This will be the first time this alert has been used for a wind event.

This Wednesday, wind gusts have already exceeded 100 km/h at a dozen weather stations by 12:30 PM: 140 km/h were recorded in Vallès Oriental, 115 km/h in Montserrat, and 107 km/h in Miami Platja (Tarragona). However, this intensity is expected to affect more regions tomorrow, raising the danger level to 5 and 6, the maximum level forecast. In fact, Meteocat has raised the alert for strong winds to its highest level across much of the country, with red alerts in the Barcelona metropolitan area.

Second episode due to Carnival

The head of the forecasting department at the Meteorological Service of Catalonia (Meteocat), Santi Segalà, has indicated that the expected strong winds are "top-tier" and will affect all regions "without exception." Forecasts indicate that Friday will be a day of "respite," but Segalà has warned that a second episode will arrive on Saturday with northerly winds, particularly affecting the far reaches of the country—the Pyrenees, the Pre-Pyrenees, the Empordà, the Terres de l'Ebre, and the Camp de Tarragona—coinciding with the Carnival parades. In this regard, the deputy director of Civil Protection, Imma Soler, has stated that they will ask municipalities to assess their planned weekend activities to determine if changes are necessary or if their feasibility needs to be evaluated. She also suggested that they review any equipment and Carnival parade routes to determine if they need to be inspected. In fact, Parlon warned that the wind could wreak havoc in urban areas due to fallen trees, lampposts, or bus stops. So far, the Catalan Fire Service has responded to more than 600 calls related to around 500 incidents (mostly fallen trees and damage to building facades), with no injuries reported.

In the Catalan capital, First Deputy Mayor Laia Bonet urged citizens to "exercise extreme caution" because the situation is "highly unusual": "Barcelona does not normally experience this intensity of wind." She added: "We want to emphasize the need to take extreme precautions and avoid unnecessary risks. This means closing doors and windows, removing objects that could fall from balconies and windows onto public streets, and exercising extreme caution when traveling within the city." Government spokesperson Silvia Paneque had already indicated on Wednesday morning that suspending rail service due to the storm was not out of the question. Another meeting of the emergency committee is scheduled for 5:00 PM to assess the possibility of implementing further restrictive measures like this one. The weather event expected this Thursday is similar to the one in 2014, where two people died in Terrassa and one in Vandellòs due to winds that reached speeds exceeding 150 km/h. The Minister of the Interior admitted that tomorrow's alert level could be raised to an emergency due to the potential number of incidents.