At 3 a.m. Sunday, the Besòs river surged through its final stretch, and water levels rose rapidly. The Catalan Water Agency measured a flow of 520 cubic meters per second at Santa Coloma de Gramenet, prompting the closure of the Parc Fluvial del Besòs. EFE reported the closure. Civil Protection sent out an Es-Alert ordering people living near the river to leave ground floors and basements and move to higher ground if water approached.
The alert covered Montcada i Reixac, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Sant Adrià del Besòs and Barcelona. Residents were told to stay away from the river and avoid going out unless necessary. The Catalan Water Agency had already flagged the area for flood risk, but the rain continued and local records fell. Meteocat raised the heavy-rain danger level to 5 or 6 out of 6 in the worst-hit areas. Civil Protection activated the INUNCAT plan before the worst of the storm arrived.
Barcelona’s infrastructure struggled to cope. Rodalies commuter trains stopped running across Catalonia; only the RL3, RL4 and R16 lines continued to operate. Rodalies confirmed the disruption on the morning of October 4. High-speed train services were reduced, and Sants station became a shelter where the Red Cross assisted stranded passengers. In L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, water flooded streets and ground floors. Leaks forced the evacuation of the local emergency care center, and urgent cases were sent to other towns.
By nightfall, the city council had found emergency shelter for 93 people, many of whom could not get home. The transport system was largely halted, and social services helped about 80 people stranded at Estació de França and Sants stations. The metro network was also affected: disruptions spread, the metro was due to close at midnight, and water seeped into Sants and other basic stations.
Meteocat measured 190.8 liters per square meter in Raval and 170.3 in Zona Universitaria, an 18-year high there. Near the Badalona Museum, 152 liters fell, the highest amount in 21 years. In Raval, 3.4 liters fell in a single minute and 36.1 liters in half an hour, nearly double the previous record set in March 2017.
Other areas were hit too. At the Sant Joan Despí water plant in Baix Llobregat, flows reached 165 cubic meters per second, fifteen times higher than earlier that day. At Sant Quintí de Mediona, the Llobregat river reached 230 cubic meters per second.
Roads became dangerous. A tree blocked the Arrabassada road (BP-1417), and flooding shut down the C-32 near Esplugues de Llobregat. Cars moved slowly through waterlogged streets as containers floated away.
The Generalitat banned all non-impressive movement. Outdoor activities, markets and cultural events were canceled in 20 comarcas, 17 of them under red alert. The warning extended to Girona, Moianès, Osona and Ripollès. Meteorologists warned of a possible “mini-Mediterranean hurricane,” with up to 200 liters per square meter forecast in just six hours.
President Salvador Illa thanked people for acting responsibly and urged them to remain alert: “We cannot let our guard down.” Joan Ramon Cabello, Civil Protection’s deputy director, repeated the warning. No deaths or serious injuries had been reported, though people had already been rescued from trapped cars. River levels remained dangerous.
Imma Soler, who leads emergency coordination, told people to stay put until at least 2 p.m. Sunday. In northern Girona, the red alert remained in force until at least mid-afternoon. The Spanish Meteorological Agency described the danger in Barcelona and Girona provinces as “extraordinary.”
Spain has faced repeated bouts of extreme weather. Earlier, housing protests broke out across the country amid social and environmental stress. The flooding exposed the strain on city infrastructure and the importance of emergency planning. Fast action and clear information from officials saved lives.
