Heavy rain hit Granollers before dawn, flooding streets and stalling cars, bringing the city to a halt as authorities activated the ES-Alert emergency system. Basic roads disappeared under water, and all schools closed for the city’s 65,000 people. Even seasoned meteorologists were caught off guard.
By mid-morning, Granollers had received more than 100 millimeters of rain, with over 40 millimeters falling in just thirty minutes. Cars became trapped in rising water, and two sinkholes opened. Water seeped into the Hospital General de Granollers for the second day in a row. Officials told everyone in Vallès Oriental to stay inside as emergency crews struggled to keep up. By early morning on October 3 to 4, Granollers had recorded up to 248 mm of rain during the episode, setting a new local record.
The Generalitat’s Civil Protection agency sent three ES-Alert messages to Barcelonès and seven nearby counties: Alt Penedès, Garraf, Baix Llobregat, Vallès Occidental, Vallès Oriental, Maresme and La Selva. Residents were told to avoid travel and stay away from flood-prone areas. More towns followed Granollers and canceled classes.
President Salvador Illa led an emergency meeting at the Cecat operations center, joined by Interior and Public Security Minister Núria Parlon. Illa said: "The meteorological situation has surpassed any prediction, as this episode of rain was not forecast by the models," and urged everyone to take extra care.
Transport broke down across Catalonia’s busiest corridor. Rodalies commuter trains shut down some lines fully and others partially, while Barcelona’s metro and buses rerouted or cut service. Water poured into streets in neighborhoods such as Canyelles. At El Prat airport, 29 flights were canceled, 15 departures and 14 arrivals. High-speed trains between La Sagrera and Barcelona-Sants stopped for hours because of a signaling failure; service resumed at midday.
On the morning of October 5, Catalonia’s Civil Protection issued a new ES-Alert for Vallès Oriental and Maresme, warning of locally very intense rainfall in the coming hours and urging residents to avoid travel and flood-prone areas. Regional and international reports confirmed the escalation, with the ongoing risk reaching beyond Granollers to several districts around Barcelona.
More than 6,000 Endesa customers across Catalonia had lost electricity since early morning. The Meteorological Service of Catalonia (Meteocat) kept red alerts in place for Barcelona and nearby areas, warning that up to 40 millimeters of further heavy rain could fall in half an hour and recur through the night.
The storm came just after a deadly weekend. Two people died in Tordera and Montornès del Vallès, and one person is still missing in Pineda de Mar. The intense, unpredictable rain exposed the region’s vulnerability. Recent Mediterranean storms have shown the same risks, as reported earlier by local news.
Emergency teams are stretched thin, and infrastructure is under pressure. Catalonia’s response to these sudden storms is under scrutiny. Forecasting models failed to predict the downpour, raising questions about how ready the region is for wild weather. For people in Granollers, the danger is no longer theoretical. The region must adapt quickly.
