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6 clusters · 41 sources · 40 days · First seen about 2 months ago · Last updated 9 days ago

Severe storms and flooding in Catalonia and eastern Spain

Overview

Severe weather conditions across Spain’s Mediterranean coast have intensified, with rainfall levels in Catalonia and Valencia reaching extreme peaks. In L’Eliana, accumulations reached up to 113.6 liters per square meter, while Chiva and Torrent recorded 108 mm and 106 mm respectively.

In addition to the previously reported fatalities in Roda de Berà and Olivella, the flooding has caused widespread societal disruption, including the suspension of school classes and major transportation interruptions. Infrastructure impacts have expanded to include the closure of several metro lines and significant flight delays and cancellations at both El Prat and Valencia airports. Intense showers have also been reported along the Alicante coast.

Data from Meteorage indicates that between 12:00 and 23:00 on September 16, the country recorded 84,577 lightning strikes. The Valencian Community experienced 3,258 cloud-to-ground strikes, while Catalonia documented 2,215 strikes and Castilla-La Mancha recorded 1,457.

While rainfall has begun to subside in certain areas, the meteorological agency AEMET maintains various alerts across the eastern peninsula. This includes red alerts in the Region of Murcia, specifically for Campo de Cartagena and Mazarrón, as well as orange alerts for the Balearic Islands due to the ongoing risk of intense storms and hail. Emergency services continue to manage hundreds of incidents involving flooding, electrical failures, and fallen objects.

Entities

Protecció Civil · Catalonia · Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya · Agència Catalana de l’Aigua · Ramon Espadaler

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 2 SOURCES] The ES-Alert system was not activated because the storms were sudden and had low predictability. reusdigital.cat · www.tarragonaradio.cat
[● 2 SOURCES] The window of time available to issue a warning was minimal. reusdigital.cat · www.tarragonaradio.cat
[● 2 SOURCES] ES-Alert messages are sent when forecasts reach levels 5 out of 6 or 6 out of 6. reusdigital.cat · www.tarragonaradio.cat
[○ 1 SOURCE] The Junts party has requested explanations from the Catalan Government regarding the lack of ES-Alert activation. capital.es
[○ 1 SOURCE] Heavy rains in Tarragona caused flooding and resulted in 11 injuries. capital.es
[○ 1 SOURCE] The Meteorological Service of Catalonia did not report levels that justified activating the alert at the time of the heaviest rains. capital.es

Timeline

9 days ago

[INTERNATIONAL] 8 sources
Catalonia weather alert: Authorities warn of torrential rain
Authorities in Catalonia have activated the Inuncat alert plan, warning of torrential rain and advising citizens to limit travel and avoid low-lying areas.
27 days ago

[INTERNATIONAL] 2 sources
Tarragona flooding causes fatalities and sparks maintenance concerns
Fatal flooding in Roda de Berà and maintenance concerns regarding local streams in El Vendrell have highlighted the risks of torrential rains in the Tarragona province.
30 days ago

[INTERNATIONAL] 8 sources
Tarragona weather causes flooding and road closures
Severe storms, including heavy rain and hail, have caused flooding and road closures in Tarragona, Spain, disrupting major highways, rail services, and access to PortAventura.
30 days ago

[POLITICS] 12 sources
Catalan Government defends decision not to use ES-Alert during Tarragona storms
The Catalan Government defended its decision not to trigger the ES-Alert system during recent severe storms in Tarragona, citing technical protocols and a lack of predictability.
about 1 month ago

[INTERNATIONAL] 16 sources
Catalonia weather alerts issued amid heavy rain and flooding
Catalonia faces intense storms and flooding risks, triggering the INUNCAT emergency plan. Controversy surrounds the non-activation of mobile ES-Alerts following recent heavy rainfall in Tarragona.
about 2 months ago

[INTERNATIONAL] 9 sources
Catalonia battles severe rainstorms and flooding alerts
Severe thunderstorms in Catalonia triggered flood alerts, 410 emergency calls, beach closures, rail disruptions and hail warnings across the region.

Sources

20minutos.es · 324.cat · aguaita.cat · burnaby.ca · capital.es · catalunyapress.cat · diaridesabadell.com · diaridetarragona.com · diaridigital.tarragona21.com · diarimes.com · diariodealicante.net · djhr.uodiyala.edu.iq · eixdiari.cat · eldiario.es · elnacional.cat · foravila.net · gerio.cat · hackercar.com · konstfack.se · labandera.es · laciutat.cat · lamanyana.cat · laVanguardia.com · lavanguardia.com · lleida.com · merca2.es · moncloa.com · noticiasdemalaga.es · novatarrega.cat · ocio.diariodemallorca.es · outdoor.se · pallarsdigital.cat · polojapan.com · reusdigital.cat · segre.com · tarragonaradio.cat · telenoticies.cat · thepositive.com · totsantcugat.cat · univ-paris12.fr · vilaweb.cat

This summary has been updated 12 times: see revision history