Storm alert: several rivers in the northeast at risk of overflowing

BarcelonaThe rains arrived punctually yesterday and have since spread and become more widespread across the country, from the coast to the land. So far, accumulations of between 30 and 60 liters per square meter have been recorded in many areas, but these figures have been significantly exceeded in several cases, especially in the pre-coastal, northeastern, and Ebro regions. Notable rainfall totals include over 230 liters per square meter at Puig Sesolles (1,668 meters above sea level in Montseny), over 195 in Viladrau (Osona), over 180 in Els Ports (Baix Ebre), over 130 in Molló, and 120 in Sant Pau de Segúries (Ripols). It's raining on already saturated ground, and some rivers are rising rapidly, particularly in the Girona and northern Barcelona regions. In fact, the Ter River as it passes through San Juan de las Abadesas (Ripollès), the Ges River in Torelló (Osona), the Muga River in San Lorenzo de la Muga, and the Brugent River in Amer (Selva) have already reached the threshold of danger of overflowing, and the rain is not letting up.

In contrast, the rain has been light for the moment in most of the Lleida region. The water is dirty, as it's mixed with mud due to the suspended Saharan dust. And this updraft—a result of the storm's remnants— ReginaThe storm will continue today, with rainfall that could again be very heavy and intense in some areas. Totals could exceed 50 or 100 l/m² throughout the storm along the coast and pre-coastal areas, and even reach 200 l/m² in some parts of the northeast, northern Catalonia, the Ebro Valley, and Castellón. Meteocat maintains an active alert for accumulations of more than 200 l/m² in several districts within these areas, and the Inuncat disaster plan remains activated at the alert level.

Exercise caution near rivers and flood-prone areas. Additionally, reservoirs in the inland basins are nearing capacity, and some have been releasing water for the past two days. Unstable weather is expected to continue throughout the weekend.

Continued rain until Friday

Throughout Friday, the easterly winds will continue to bring widespread rain, moving from the sea towards the land and again accompanied by mud. The most affected areas will be the coast, pre-coastal areas, the Ebro Valley, the northeast, Castellón, and Northern Catalonia. However, the showers could be locally heavier in other areas, such as Central Catalonia, the Ponent region, and the south of the country. Meteocat has issued a weather alert for showers that could produce more than 20 liters per square meter in just half an hour.

Some showers will also arrive in the Balearic Islands and the rest of the Valencian Community, although more scattered and weak. Pay attention once again to the snowfall on the southern slopes of the Pyrenees, especially in the far east. In areas like eastern Ripollès or Conflent, between half a meter and a meter of new snow could accumulate at higher elevations during this period. The snow level will descend from 2,000 to 1,700 meters.

All of this will be accompanied by cool temperatures and easterly winds that could exceed 60 or 70 km/h along the coast and pre-coastal areas. Furthermore, the sea conditions will remain very rough, with waves that could exceed 2.5 m, and even reach 4 m in height. Meteocat maintains its alerts for strong winds and high waves.

Busy weekend

Although the easterly winds will subside, moisture will continue to arrive from the Mediterranean, leaving cold air aloft and maintaining significant instability. Further precipitation is expected, although it will be more scattered and not raining everywhere throughout the day. The most significant rainfall is expected in the Ebro Valley and in parts of the northeast, the Pre-Pyrenees, and the southern slopes of the Pyrenees, where the snow level will remain below 2,000 meters. More scattered showers will appear in most areas. However, there is some uncertainty in the weekend forecast, so all developments should be monitored closely. The weather will remain cool to mild at midday, with little cold at night and some suspended dust. The maritime winds will weaken, and next week will not be clear.