Rain is moving north across Catalonia, with storms expected to bring up to 60 mm in three hours. Crews are restoring power while firefighters search for a missing child in Granollers.
Meteocat has set the danger rating at 4 out of 6 as rain moves north from Terres de l'Ebre toward Girona. Some areas could receive up to 60 mm in three hours. Locally severe storms are expected this afternoon and tonight.
Protecció Civil has not issued an Es-Alert. That decision could change if conditions worsen. Meteocat is also warning of bursts above 40 mm in 30 minutes, so sudden cloudbursts remain a separate risk from the total rainfall.
Meteocat's warning thresholds include more than 40 mm of rain in 30 minutes, showing why a brief cloudburst can create a dangerous situation even before daily rainfall totals become extreme.
Santi Segalà, head of forecasting at Meteocat, said the heaviest rain would affect the Camp de Tarragona and Barcelona before reaching Girona. Official forecasts still show rain in Girona and the northern Barcelona metropolitan area. The forecast includes Llagostera, Santa Maria de Palautordera and Parets del Vallès.
The risk is local.
People have been told to take extra care outdoors and while traveling. Short, intense downpours can affect roads, drainage systems and low-lying urban areas within a short time. Regional rainfall totals may not show how quickly conditions can change in one town.
Imma Solé, deputy director of Protecció Civil, urged residents to check the weather radar and follow official updates. Around 4,400 people remain without electricity, particularly in Barcelona. The outage adds to the continuing weather risk.
Firefighters are searching in Granollers for Rami, a 12-year-old child who disappeared during the storm on Sunday. Eight Bombers units are involved. The teams include underwater specialists, canine teams and the drone unit.
Some 470 volunteers have offered help. The search is focused in the southeast of the municipality, between the railway tracks and the Hotel Ciudad de Granollers. That is where the child was last seen.
Meteocat's official model recorded up to 21.8 mm of rain in one hour in Rubí. The figure illustrates how uneven the storm can be: even when regional totals are not extreme, individual municipalities may experience a rapid deterioration in conditions.
The response has already grown large. Since 6 a.m. on Monday, Bombers have carried out about 700 operations and nearly 50 rescues. Most took place on Monday morning.
Crews are now restoring services, reopening roads and pumping water from lower premises. They are also handling other technical assistance calls.
Jorge Morales, medical director of SEM, said the service received 456 alerts, treated 406 people and transferred 77 to hospitals. Only two people were treated during the latest 24-hour period. Ambulances were changed to improve access.
Wednesday should bring more showers and storms before a new front crosses the Catalan coast. Segalà said the front should clear the unstable air mass and return the region to a more normal autumn pattern.
The front will also bring a sharp temperature drop across almost all of Catalonia. Tramontana and mistral winds are expected, especially in Empordà. The first snow could fall above 1,700 to 1,800 metres.
Meteocat's outlook for Girona still includes more rain during the day, with some hourly amounts around 3 to 4 mm. The weather may remain unsettled even after the strongest phase weakens.
Catalonia has also begun its flu and covid-19 vaccination campaign. Health services therefore have another seasonal task to keep in view. Earlier coverage of a new influenza treatment is available in this flu treatment report. The current emergency is driven by the weather, not infection levels.
The numbers are still serious. Hundreds of operations have been completed, thousands of people remain without power and the search for a missing child continues. Another band of rain is approaching.
Protecció Civil has held back the mass alert for now. Severe local rain and disrupted services still make official updates essential. The end of the first downpour does not mean the emergency is over.
