Heavy rain pounded Barcelona on Monday, 5 October, prompting city officials to activate the emergency plan for drainage failure. Meteocat, the regional weather service, reported more than 100 mm of rain in Barcelona and nearby towns. By midnight, some areas of Barcelonès had recorded between 100 and 200 liters per square meter. El Raval observatory measured 190.8 l/m², while the university area on Diagonal Avenue saw 170.3 l/m². Euronews reported these were the highest figures in at least 18 years.
People have been told to stay home unless they have no choice. As water rises and drains fill, moving around could put lives in danger. Residents should bring in anything from balconies or patios that could wash away, and keep pets inside. The ES-Alert system sent emergency messages to Barcelona and to Alt Penedès, Garraf, Baix Llobregat, Barcelonès, Vallès Occidental, Maresme and Selva. Catalan News reported that the threat covers a wide area. The Catalan Water Agency reported that the lower Besòs River exceeded the danger threshold, with water flow reaching 520 m³/s in Santa Coloma de Gramenet at around 03:00. The agency issued an immediate flood risk warning.
Indoors, residents should shut all doors and windows, check roofs and drains for blockages, and clear away trash. They should unplug electrical devices and store dangerous items well above ground. Keep a phone and charger, medicine, warm clothes and documents close by. Do not enter basements or garages, which flood first. If water starts coming in, turn off the basic power immediately. If the building feels unsafe, leave, lock up and get to higher ground.
Outside, the risks multiply. Emergency rules advise people to shelter in sturdy buildings and keep everything closed. Never try to cross streams, underpasses or flood-prone areas, on foot or by car. People have died doing this before, so wait for the water to drop or find another way. Euronews cited official reports that two people died in Catalonia during the storm. Fire and rescue services received more than 1,500 emergency calls across the region.
If you must lead, slow down, brake gently and be ready to stop. Never cross flooded roads or park where water collects. If your car gets stuck or water reaches the axle, leave the car and head for higher ground immediately. Meteocat raised the rain danger level to the maximum, 6 out of 6, for Barcelona, Girona and Tarragona. It forecast very heavy rainfall and isolated strong wind gusts, Catalan News reported. In Vallès Oriental, authorities required residents to stay home because of the risk of overflowing streams. They later lifted the order but maintained overnight monitoring.
These steps reflect hard lessons from past storms in Catalonia, including the flash floods in Granollers, when slow action led to chaos and school shutdowns. The details are in the earlier breakdown of that event.
Official safety advice is posted on the Bomberos de Barcelona website. The City Council said that by 5 October, the flood risk plan had been lowered to alert level as conditions calmed down. The basic city plan remained active to help restore services.
