Pending the rains and torrential downpours until Tuesday morning

BarcelonaThe rainstorm caused by the DANA Dana and the warm, moisture-laden maritime winds continues in Catalonia, after leaving extraordinary and historic records in the Valencian Community between Sunday and Monday morning. The new wave of precipitation started mid-morning and at noon in the south of Catalonia, and as the hours passed, it moved in a northerly direction. Until nightfall, the rain will continue to sweep across many parts of the country, and at night it will become increasingly concentrated in the northern half. An extensive water situation, although it will have nothing to do with the situation experienced in the Valencian Community or with the episode from two weeks ago in Catalonia.

In general, it will be steady rain, but locally it may rain with torrential intensity and a lot of water may accumulate in a short time. From dawn until early Tuesday morning, it will rain locally with intensity again in the regions of the eastern half, especially on the Costa Brava, as well as in the Balearic Islands. For this reason, Meteocat maintains many alerts activated throughout the country for intense rain that could leave more than 40 l/m² in half an hour or more than 90 l/m² in three hours.

In addition, there is a warning for accumulations of more than 100 l/m² in 24 hours in many areas of the center and north of the country, especially on the southern side of the Pyrenees and the eastern Pre-Pyrenees. In some cases, it is raining on wet ground, as there are points on the coast and pre-coastal area of Barcelona that have already accumulated nearly 400 l/m² this month of October. Caution must be taken with flood-prone areas and the sudden rise of rivers and streams.

All this after the brunt of the storm has swept through the Valencian Community in the last few hours. The most affected regions have been La Safor and Marina Alta, with records that have exceeded 600 l/m² or, locally, 700 in just 24 hours. Notable are the 720 in Forna and 693 in Pego, according to data from the Valencian Association of Meteorology (Avamet), accumulations totally out of place similar to those recorded two years ago during the tragic DANA in Valencia. So much rain has caused serious flooding (you will find the most prominent data and images of the storm at the end of this report).

Tuesday: more calm

After so much rain, Tuesday will be a much calmer day. Until the morning, there will still be some precipitation locally accompanied by storms in the northeast of the country and in the Balearic Islands, but all of this will quickly clear up and sunny spells will prevail. In fact, the sun will end up shining in many regions, especially in the west and south of Catalonia and the Valencian Community.

On the other hand, in the afternoon, some irregular showers and a few local thunderstorms will still recur in the regions of the northeast of Barcelona, Girona, the Pyrenees, the Balearic Islands, and Castelló. These will be local phenomena and will have nothing to do with the rains and downpours of the last few hours.

The mistral and tramontana winds will blow strongly in the Ebre and Empordà regions, and during the middle of the day, a westerly wind will also blow in central and southern Catalonia. It will be cold early on, but maximum temperatures will clearly recover after two days of abundant clouds. The rise may be locally marked. Many maximum temperatures between 16 °C and 21 °C are expected, and a little higher in the south.

Little rain in sight

Looking ahead to the next few days, calm and sunshine will generally dominate, with the permission of some bands of clouds. In general, no rain is expected. Or, at the very least, no new significant storm of precipitation. Only some scattered afternoon showers will escape in the Pyrenees area and nearby areas. Temperatures will suffer some ups and downs, but the autumn atmosphere has come to stay, with cold at night and a mild atmosphere contained at midday.

Balance of historic rainfall

The storm that has affected the south of the Valencian Community has been historic. The episode took place between Sunday and Monday morning, and it has left extraordinary and record-breaking records, especially in the regions of Marina Alta and La Safor, which were the most affected by the torrential rains. In less than 24 hours, over 600 l/m² have been exceeded in some municipalities, and locally even over 700 l/m² have been exceeded. A lot of water fell in a few hours, causing severe flooding, fatalities, and the rescue of dozens of people.

Notable are the 720 l/m² in Forna, in Atzúbia (Marina Alta), a rainfall record for the municipality. This figure ranks third on the podium of the most significant official records of rainfall in 24 hours since records began in the Valencian Community and the State, only behind the 817 l/m² in Oliva on November 3, 1987, and the 772 l/m² recorded in Torís on October 29, 2024, during the tragic DANA. These are the most significant records from the latest episode in the south of the Valencian Community, according to data from Avamet.

• 720 l/m²: Forna
• 693 l/m²: Pego
• 643 l/m²: Oliva
• 615 l/m²: el Real de Gandia
• 602 l/m²: Barx (la Drova)
• 580 l/m²: la Vall d'Ebo
• 551 l/m²: Vilallonga
• 548 l/m²: Gandia (Parpalló)
• 544 l/m²: Palma de Gandia