The strong storms and wind gusts exceeding 140 kilometers per hour this Thursday in the Ribera Alta have caused the collapse of the roof of the Santa Catalina church in Alzira, as well as the falling of trees, road closures, and other incidents in various parts of the region.
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The acting mayor of Alzira, Enrique Montalvá, has confirmed that firefighters are assessing the extent of the damage, which he described as “significant.” Among the most notable is the collapse of the dome roof of Santa Catalina, the church “with the most parishioners in all of Alzira.” The collapse did not cause any injuries.
Montalvá described the episode as “quite disastrous, all within fifteen minutes.” The intense wind gusts also caused a person who was carrying out work on their home to fall, although fortunately, they were not injured.
The storm has particularly affected the interior of the province of Valencia. The Valencian Meteorology Association (Avamet) recorded gusts of up to 149 kilometers per hour in Sumacàrcer and 143 km/h in Alzira. Speeds of 125 km/h were also reached in Corbera and 114 km/h in l’Alcúdia.
Avamet reported the presence of wet microbursts in the Canal de Navarrés and in the Ribera Alta and Ribera Baixa regions. The State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) indicated that it is a short-duration storm but with very strong wind gusts, moving towards the sea through the Cullera, El Perelló, and El Saler areas.
Aemet has especially warned about the risk associated with the wind and has urged caution for people near fragile structures or elements that may be poorly anchored. So far, the accumulated rainfall has not been particularly significant.
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At the Polinyà de Xúquer station, 21.4 liters per square meter have accumulated, with a maximum of 14.1 liters in ten minutes and wind gusts of 94 kilometers per hour. The passage of the storm also caused a sharp drop in temperatures, by 19 degrees, falling from 37.7 degrees to 18.1.
The episode is also affecting rail traffic. Adif has reported delays on the C2 line of the València commuter trains and on medium and long-distance trains running through the affected section due to a tree falling on the railway infrastructure between Alzira and La Pobla Llarga.
Adif teams are working to remove the tree and restore rail traffic “as soon as possible.”
Meanwhile, the Provincial Fire Consortium of Valencia has attended to nearly a dozen incidents related to the storms in La Ribera so far, mainly in Alzira, Massalavés, Benimuslem, and Algemesí, according to the Generalitat Emergency Coordination Center.
The storm episode, characterized by the formation of wet microbursts and strong wind gusts, has thus left a trail of damage in various municipalities of La Ribera within minutes, while emergency services continue to assess its consequences.
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