The latest one has been added to the train of storms that has shaken the Peninsula from north to south in recent weeks, Orianawith gusts of strong winds that have caused damage and the closure of seaports. The storm has claimed the life of a 46-year-old woman, as a result of injuries suffered after part of the roof of an industrial warehouse in Barcelona fell on her. Catalonia has precisely been one of the communities most affected by the wind, especially this Thursday, especially in the metropolitan area of Barcelona and in the extreme north and south of the community. 85 people have been injured, of which 34 were transferred to different health centers and nine were admitted to hospitals. The authorities suspended classes, non-urgent sports and health activities, and urged teleworking to be prioritized.
Oriana will continue to put a good part of Spain on notice, due to snow, rain and, above all, wind and waves, on a day in which 12 autonomous communities will be on alert for orange level and the Valencian Community will have it as red, according to the prediction of the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), specifically in Castellón due to expected gusts of 140 kilometers per hour.
Andalusia
The Andalusian community, one of the territories most damaged by successive storms, has held its breath before the arrival of the latest storm when there are still around 3,000 evicted people as a result of last week’s storm and when there are dams, such as the Montejaque, in the Ronda mountain range (Málaga), which has begun to discharge for the first time in a century, as clear evidence of the unusual effects of the accumulation of rainfall in recent days.
Although the Junta de Andalucía sent ES-Alerts messages late on Thursday afternoon to 22 municipalities in the provinces of Seville, Málaga and Cádiz, including all those in the Sierra de Grazalema, ground zero for storms Leonardo and Marta, the intense rains that were expected have not caused major incidents in an area in which all schools have suspended classes and which have become accustomed to slowing down their activity. The 1,600 inhabitants of Grazalema, evicted for a week, know it well.
In Malaga, the attention was not on the sky, but on the Montejaque dam, which has left spectacular images the first time it has flowed in its history. The infrastructure was reaching the limit of its capacity – 36 cubic hectometers – due to the intense rains of the last storms and doubts centered on when it would have to relieve its flow. It heads towards the Guadiaro River and there were fears of a rapid flood that would flood several towns located on its banks, but in the end this did not happen. The cave system prior to the channel has slowed the growth of the river and, in fact, the 200 residents evicted in the area (some for a week) have been authorized to return. For the rest, the province has spent the day under a yellow warning due to strong winds, although it has hardly caused any incidents.
In Granada, a collapse in the Pradollano road that gives access to the Sierra Nevada has forced the Board to recommend that citizens not go to the ski resort. In the province of Jaén, 67 have had to abandon their homes, as have two other residents of Cazorla who were evicted on Friday due to the risk of collapse after the passing of the storm carousel. In addition, the storm once again leaves Órgiva, the capital of the Alpujarra of Granada, without water supply, and the strong wind and zero visibility have forced the closure of the Sierra Nevada ski resort.
In Seville, winds of 70 kilometers per hour have hit the capital’s trees, causing branches to break in large specimens. The fall of a palm tree on a car that was traveling on Kansas City Avenue injured a woman who was inside, who was rescued by the emergency services and taken to the hospital. The gale also caused a tree to fall on San Jacinto Street, one of the main arteries of the Triana neighborhood, an incident that, although it did not cause any personal injury, has spread fear among neighbors, forcing the area to be perimetered to guarantee safety.
Castile-La Mancha
The sights remain on El Robledo (Ciudad Real), where 70 members of the Military Emergency Unit (UME) are displaced due to the flooding of the Bullaque River. This Friday, the military rescued an elderly couple and their pet after they were trapped by the overflowing of the Tallar stream, in Fuente el Fresno (Ciudad Real). The Guadalajara City Council maintains the Municipal Emergency Plan (Platemun) activated in the alert phase due to the “potential danger” situation entailed by the flooding of the Henares as it passes through the city. The storm has forced access to the Jets of the Mundo River, in Albacete, to be cut.
All in all, the weather situation seemed more acceptable than the day before. Some swamps have continued to drain, but at a slower rate than Thursday. In Cuenca, the Júcar river dropped to a yellow threshold, when yesterday it was red. The Tajo remains at the red level even in Toledo, although its flow is expected to increase in the coming hours but more slightly. The worst is still in Ciudad Real. Although the Bullaque flows there with less flow than this Thursday, the UME has continued to erect containment dams in El Robledo to prevent the water from reaching the houses. There are also some livestock farms affected by the overflows where yesterday the UME had to access to relocate some animals that had been isolated. In the province there have also been no classes in 10 municipalities and there are 23 roads in the regional and provincial network affected by the rains. There have already been around 400 incidents in the region since Thursday, when the regional Executive’s emergency protocol was activated, which is still at level 2 due to discharges, especially in the Tagus and Guadiana basins. A total of 11 ES-Alert messages have been issued to populations in Toledo, Cuenca, Albacete and Ciudad Real. The storm, according to the regional Executive, has caused damage to 42 educational centers: 21 in Ciudad Real and 21 in Toledo, with an estimated economic impact of 918,000 euros. The damage is found in the roofs and waterproofing, leaks, minor structural damage and conditions in gyms and workshops.
Madrid
The Aemet has activated the yellow level warning due to strong gusts of wind and possible precipitation in the form of snow during this Friday and until Saturday afternoon in the mountain area of Madrid. Specifically, the yellow warning for snowfall will begin at 6:00 p.m. this Friday and will last until noon on Saturday. Accumulations of up to 5 centimeters could be recorded at elevations between 1,100 and 1,200 meters.
Estremadura
The mayor of Badajoz, Ignacio Gragera, has issued a warning to the city’s residents to take extreme precautions in view of the forecast that the water level in the Guadiana will rise as it passes through the city, due to the discharges that are being carried out throughout the basin. Through the social network
Valencian Community
The wind episode gave a lull in the Valencian Community last night and early hours of this Friday, without any relevant incidents occurring. But the parenthesis will not last long. The Valencian Generalitat, through the Emergency Coordination Center, issued a new special warning on Friday afternoon in response to the wind storm that is expected from the early hours of this Saturday and that will affect, above all, the province of Castellón, where Aemet has launched a red notice due to extreme risk. The wind gusts may exceed 140 kilometers per hour, which is why the authorities have asked for extreme surveillance and security. In the provinces of Valencia and Alicante there are orange warnings for winds also this Saturday.
The Valencia City Council has suspended the street celebrations for the Chinese New Year, scheduled for this weekend, and has ordered the closure of parks and gardens, including Túria. The Port Authority has also closed the port of Valencia to the entry and exit of ships due to adverse weather conditions. From two in the afternoon until 10 at night there is a yellow warning for coastal phenomena on the coast of Valencia. And in Alicante, practically the entire province has suspended all outdoor activities, parks and gardens have been closed and Carnival events have been postponed due to the orange alert decreed by the Aemet due to wind for Saturday, when gusts of up to more than 90 kilometers per hour are expected.
Castile and León
The intense rainfall causes the closure of several bridges due to the high level of the rivers in the Castilian and Leonese community. The volume of water from the Duero River in Almazán (Soria) has led to the closure of the town’s Roman bridge due to possible overflow and impact on traffic. A similar scenario has occurred in Palencia with the Arlanza as it passes through the Roman bridge of Quintana del Puente, where the river threatens to reach the road. In addition, multiple overflows have been recorded and the rivers of the Duero Hydrographic Confederation are at very high levels and could increase if the rains and thaw continue as expected. During Friday afternoon, Castilla y León had 62 active hydrological warnings: 20 in red level, 15 in orange and 27 in yellow.
Ceuta and Melilla
In Ceuta, the shipping companies on the routes with Algeciras and Tarifa have suspended several connections and have announced that they will interrupt them for this Saturday given the whiplash of the wind, of up to 74 kilometers per hour, and the forecast that the gusts will be repeated tomorrow. The autonomous city has benefited instead from the rains because its two reservoirs have exceeded 90% of their capacity this Friday as a result of the latest rainfall.
In Melilla, the seaport has been closed from this Friday until Sunday, and with it its connections with Málaga, Almería and Motril. The educational activities on Friday afternoon and the Carnival parade scheduled for Saturday have also been suspended due to the wind alert of up to 90 kilometers per hour.
