The storm is subsiding, but there will still be strong winds until nightfall.

The windstorm associated with the powerful Atlantic storm Niles The storm reached its peak today. After last night's front of showers passed, the wind picked up again in the early hours and blew strongly throughout the day in many areas. The storm has now reached its peak and will subside during the afternoon, although strong gusts are still expected in the coming hours. This morning, winds exceeded 100 km/h in several locations, especially along the coast and pre-coastal areas of Barcelona and in higher elevations, while in the western part of the province, in the Girona and Tarragona regions, the wind was much more moderate or weak. Areas accustomed to strong winds, such as much of the Costa Brava and the Terres de l'Ebre, remained unaffected by the storm. Of particular note was the nearly 167 km/h recorded at Puig Sesolles (at an altitude of 1,668 m in Montseny), the second strongest gust ever recorded at this location. Winds of up to 105 km/h have also been recorded in the port of Barcelona, ​​the strongest since Storm Gloria six years ago, when the record wind speed for this station was set. The Raval neighborhood of Barcelona hasn't experienced such strong winds since at least 2009, with a gust of 87 km/h today. These are the most significant wind gusts so far:

• 167 km/h: Puig Sesolles (1,668 m)
• 138 km/h: Espot (2,519 m)
• 123 km/h: El Port del Comte (2,290 m)
• 122 km/h: Ulldeter (2,413 m)
• 122 km/h: Vacarisses
• 120 km/h: Portbou
• 120 km/h: Boí (2,535 m)
• 115 km/h: Montserrat
• 114 km/h: Molló
• 111 km/h: La Riba
• 109 km/h: Portbou
• 108 km/h: Gavà
• 106 km/h: Montbui
• 106 km/h: Certascan (2,400 m)
• 105 km/h: Port of Barcelona
• 104 km/h: Mataró
• 104 km/h: El Prat de Llobregat
• 103 km/h: Muntanyola
• 103 km/h: El Perelló
• 103 km/h: Font-Rubí
• 103 km/h: Sant Boi de Llobregat
• 103 km/h: Vilafranca del Penedès
• 102 km/h: Badalona
• 97 km/h: Barcelona (Sants)

In the higher elevations of the central pre-coastal region and the Pyrenees, many wind speeds exceeded 120 or 130 km/h. The worst of the storm has passed, having primarily affected the Barcelona area, the northeastern interior, the Pyrenees, and northern Tarragona. Meteocat has already deactivated the red alert—the highest possible level—for strong winds that was in effect in many areas this morning, especially in Barcelona, ​​Central Catalonia, and the Pyrenees. This afternoon, much of the region will remain under yellow or orange alerts, and virtually all warnings will be deactivated tonight.

It had been years since we'd experienced such a strong and widespread windstorm in our area, which will also severely affect regions unaccustomed to these gusts, such as the Barcelona area. Travel with vehicles vulnerable to gusts of wind, such as bicycles, motorcycles, or scooters, should be avoided. Caution should also be exercised with construction scaffolding, and all objects that could fall from balconies and facades should be removed. Forests and wooded areas should be avoided, as the ground is saturated after so many weeks of rain, and, as has already happened, trees and many branches could easily fall. as we explained a few days ago in the ARA.

Yesterday we already had a taste of the storm, especially during the early morning hours, with gusts reaching speeds of over 80 or 100 km/h, particularly along the coast and pre-coastal areas of Barcelona and Tarragona. On Wednesday, notable gusts included 140 km/h at Puig Sesolles (at an altitude of 1,668 m in Montseny), 107 km/h at Miami Playa (Baix Camp), 106 km/h at Mas de Barberans (Montsià), 104 km/h at El Perelló (Baix Ebre), 95 km/h at Portbou Occidental, and 89 km/h at the port of Barcelona.

The worst of the storm will last for several hours, but the wind will gradually subside from the afternoon onwards, and especially at night. However, be aware of the situation in the coming days, as another windstorm is expected between Friday afternoon and especially Saturday, this time with mistral and tramontana winds in the south of the country, in the Empordà region and in the Pyrenees peaks, where it will bring blizzard conditions.

Just waiting for more rain

The windy conditions will be accompanied by sunny and clear skies in most areas this Thursday. Cloud cover will be limited to the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees, with some light showers expected on the northern slopes until midday. The snow level will start very high but will quickly drop to around 1,000 or 1,200 meters.

Temperatures will also drop after the recent spring-like weather, which saw some highs around 25°C in the south of the country. However, it will still be unseasonably mild, with many highs between 15 and 20°C. New fronts are expected in the coming days, bringing more showers and wind.

Friday will bring a radical change in the weather. The strong westerly winds will be over, but a new front will arrive, bringing heavy cloud cover and light rain to practically every region. All this will be accompanied by a significant drop in temperatures, making it feel suddenly wintry after days of unseasonably warm weather.

From the afternoon onwards, the mistral and tramontana winds will intensify in the south of the country, in the Empordà region, and on the peaks of the Pyrenees. These winds will reach their peak on Saturday, with very strong gusts in these areas and blizzard conditions in the Pyrenees. Meteocat has already issued new warnings regarding these conditions. Over Carnival weekend, it will also snow in the Pyrenees at much lower elevations, and temperatures will be normal for this time of year.