Heavy snowfall across the country due to Storm Ingrid

Heavy rain, snow, and strong gusts of wind have been reported in several parts of the country. The weather change this Saturday has been intense and very rapid, generated by a low-pressure system with very cold air aloft associated with the storm. IngridLocated on the Atlantic coast, Catalonia has experienced heavy and intense snowfall above 600 meters, beginning in the morning in the west and gradually easing throughout the afternoon. The forecast for tonight is for the storm to move eastward, bringing heavy showers, particularly to the Alt Empordà region. This Saturday, snow has been prevalent in the Segarra, Solsonès, Berguedà, Cerdanya, Ripollès, Bages, Alta Anoia, Moianès, and Selva regions, with notable accumulations such as 15 centimeters in Vilallonga de Ter and 10 centimeters in Sant Llorenç de Ter. Snow has also been seen near the coast and, in fact, has dusted the summit of Tibidabo, near Barcelona, ​​at an altitude of around 500 meters. Social media has begun to fill with videos and images from users who have witnessed the snow, which is unusual at such low elevations.

The arrival of cold air, as the disturbance passed, brought snow showers to lower elevations, around 300 or 400 meters. By mid-morning, it was snowing heavily in regions such as Moianès and Berguedà. In Sant Guim de Freixenet (Segarra), for example, 7 cm had accumulated by noon. Rain also fell during the morning with moderate intensity, with heavier amounts along the coast and in the pre-coastal areas, notably 25 l/m² in El Vendrell, 23 l/m² in Cunit, and 21 l/m² in Montserrat, some of which fell as snow.

However, by the afternoon it had already started snowing at elevations of 700 and 800 meters, and the director of the Meteorological Service of Catalonia, Sarai Sarroca, reported that the rain and snowfall are expected to be restricted to the Pyrenees and the northeast of the territory and that by the end of the day it will only snow on the northern slope of the Pyrenees.

The pre-alert status of the special avalanche emergency plan remains in place. Until midnight on Sunday, the danger remains at a high level in Ter-Freser and on the northern slopes of the Cadí-Moixeró range, and Pallaresa and the Pre-Pyrenees have been added to the alert. The danger level is 4 (out of 5), and conditions are critical and dangerous in uncontrolled areas. Any off-piste skiing or snowshoeing activity requires extreme caution and experience. Showers, however, will move as far as the Empordà region, with total accumulations during the event potentially exceeding 100 l/m². Therefore, Civil Protection is urging vigilance in the area due to water accumulation, as this precipitation will add to that of previous days. Impact on mobility

Due to the changing weather, Civil Protection has issued an ES-Alert to five districts, requesting that movement be restricted due to snowfall in the area. Specifically, the alert applies to Solsonès, Moianès, Berguedà, Cerdanya, and Ripollès. The Catalan government warns that snowfall will continue in these districts throughout Saturday, urging drivers to limit their movement, avoid unnecessary travel, and, in any case, check road conditions and equip their vehicles accordingly. For example, use snow chains if driving on snow, and ensure a full tank of fuel and charged batteries. Currently, around fifty roads in Catalonia are affected by snowfall, concentrated in the Priorat and Montsant areas, the eastern Pyrenees (Ripollès and Berguedà), and mountainous areas and high passes in Lleida. Four roads are closed: the T-700 between Prades and Vilanova de Prades; the TV-7004 between Ulldemolins and Vallclara; the TV-7005 in Vilanova de Prades; and the BV-4031 between Toses and Castellar de n'Hug. On this road (BV-4031), a family was stranded by snow at the Creueta pass. Firefighters deployed five crews to assist and rescue those trapped, as well as to clear the road of vehicles to allow passage for emergency services and snowplows. There is a lot of snow on the La Molina road, and the helicopter was unable to reach it, leaving the personnel equipped with skis. The rescue had to be carried out on foot. Once the snowplows were clearing the road to the Creueta pass, the family was able to be evacuated to the La Molina ski resort.

The deputy director of operations for Civil Protection, Imma Solé, urged caution when traveling and engaging in outdoor activities due to the adverse weather conditions across the country, and advised people to be prepared to respond to any emergencies. She explained that the 112 emergency hotline received over 400 calls related to the storm, more than half of which were about traffic incidents. Meanwhile, the Fire Department has already responded to approximately 40 calls.

Wind episode

During the afternoon and evening, rainfall decreased in the central part of the country, and clear spells appeared in the western and southern parts of Catalonia. Strong northwesterly winds (with blizzard conditions in the Pyrenees) began to blow, and there are westerly winds with moderate to strong gusts along the coast of Barcelona and Tarragona. The Meteorological Service of Catalonia forecasts that gusts exceeding 90 km/h could be surpassed until Sunday morning in areas of the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees, the western part of the country, the northern coast, the southern part of the central pre-coastal region, and the coast and pre-coastal areas of Camp de Tarragona. So far, the strong winds following the passage of the front have produced gusts of up to 106 km/h in Camp de Tarragona. Tomorrow, the weather will be radically different, with sunshine across the country, cold temperatures, and only some cloud cover in the northeast that will not produce any precipitation.