The heavy storms that started to pour this morning in Catalonia are already causing traffic problems, with road closures and especially railway service interruptions: Rodalies has announced the closure of sections of seven of these lines due to the impact of the storms.
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The storms have also forced Rodalies de Catalunya to suspend circulation on seven of its lines.
Thus, the R1, R2 north, R11 and RG1 lines between Caldes de Malavella and Girona are closed due to damage to the catenaries; the R13 and R14 lines between Calaf and Manresa due to flooding; and the R3 line between Vic and Ripoll due to fallen trees on the infrastructure.
On the R3, an alternative road transport plan has been enabled to guarantee mobility, reports Adif, while Civil Protection has put the Ferrocat plan on pre-alert.
Meanwhile, the alternative road service between Fabra i Puig and La Garriga/Centelles/Vic remains in place.
This afternoon the N-145 road, in the Valls del Valira, which connects Andorra and La Seu d’Urgell, three kilometers from the border, was also closed due to a landslide of stones and mud coming from a ravine.
The president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, has asked citizens from his X account for “maximum caution,” especially when traveling, in the face of this episode of intense rains in Catalonia.
Illa emphasized the importance of following the instructions of emergency services, not approaching rivers, streams, and ravines, and not parking in flood-prone areas.
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By mid-afternoon, the storms are beginning to reach the central pre-coastal area and Barcelona, with heavy rain already in Vallès Oriental.
This morning there have already been intense showers, in some cases with hail, in the Pyrenees, northern Ripollès, Andorra, and Cerdanya, among others.
According to data from the Firefighters, between 12:00 and 18:00 this Thursday they received 51 calls to respond to fallen trees on public roads and flooding in basements, mostly in Girona and central Catalonia.
The storms will gradually move from north to south throughout the afternoon.
The Head of the Forecasting Area of the Meteorological Service of Catalonia (SMC), Santi Segalà, has stated that the rain episode is expected to end around midnight.
Civil Protection of the Generalitat maintains the alert of the special emergency plan for floods (Inuncat) that was activated yesterday following the SMC forecast, which indicates that more than 40 liters of water per square meter can accumulate in practically the entire territory in 30 minutes.
The meteorological service, which places the danger level at 4 out of 6, has also issued a warning for exceeding 90 liters per square meter in 3 hours, anticipating that the precipitation will advance slowly, especially in the Girona regions of Garrotxa, Ripollès, and in Central Catalonia between noon and mid-afternoon.
“The storms will move very slowly. Some of them, at times, could be somewhat stationary, but for now we do not expect them to remain static for too many hours in the same area,” explained Segalà, who warned that the rain will be accompanied by violent phenomena such as strong gusts of wind, hail, and downbursts.
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