AEMET has raised the warning to red across Barcelona's inland outskirts. Torrential rain threatens sudden flooding while emergency teams search for one missing person.
Rainfall near Granollers could exceed 90 litres per square metre in one hour. AEMET has placed the prelitoral area under Spain's highest weather warning, with an extreme danger level because rivers, streams and ravines may rise without warning. Protection Civil of the Generalitat has sent an ES-Alert to mobile phones across Vallès Oriental and Maresme. AEMET says local rainfall could reach 90 millimetres in an hour.
The danger is flooding, not simply a period of heavy rain. The Generalitat has told residents to take extreme care on any journey and stay away from places that can flood. Broad mobility restrictions have been lifted, but Protecció Civil is still warning people to avoid sudden-flood zones. Barcelona's municipal plan for insufficient drainage was activated on 2 October.
The risk is immediate.
The Barcelona-El Raval observation station recorded 143 litres of rain per square metre during the episode, placing the storm among the most intense local rainfall events reported in recent years.
Catalonia is still dealing with the storm that began last weekend. Two people have died in Tordera and Montornès del Vallès. Rescue teams are still searching for one missing person. Rainfall records have been broken, water has closed roads and several services have been suspended. Reports from the Barcelona area also describe more than 100 litres per square metre falling in a short period.
The Besòs has become another danger point. Its flow has passed 900 cubic metres per second, raising the risk of serious flooding nearby. EFE reported a peak of 903 cubic metres per second in the lower river. The Catalan Water Agency warned of an imminent hydrological danger.
Power supplies have also been hit. Endesa says 6,217 customers remain without electricity after teams dealt with 1,777 incidents since the weather system began. A total of 271 faults are still active. Technical crews are working to restore supply.
The Catalan Water Agency warned people to stay away from the Besòs river and closed access to the Besòs coastal park because of the hydrological risk. Earlier warnings in several comarques had also pointed to possible accumulations above 200 litres per square metre in six hours, showing that the episode was broader than a single downpour near Barcelona.
The latest warning adds weight to earlier coverage of the weather emergency in Catalonia. Intense rain can quickly affect roads, waterways and homes in this zone. For residents and people planning to travel through the affected counties, the red warning near Barcelona is now the main fact to watch.
The danger reaches beyond Barcelona. Nine autonomous communities have warnings for rain and storms that may bring large hail. Catalonia, Castilla y León and Extremadura have orange alerts. The Ampurdán in Girona could receive more than 60 litres per square metre in one hour and more than 100 litres in twelve hours. Those Catalan warnings remain in force until midday. Warnings for the central system, the plateau, southern Salamanca and northern Cáceres begin at 17:00. Forecast totals there exceed 30 litres per hour.
Yellow warnings remain in Asturias, Castilla-La Mancha, Galicia, Madrid, Murcia and the Balearic Islands. Forecast accumulations range from 15 to 20 litres per square metre in one hour. Maximum temperatures are expected to rise across much of Spain. Barcelona could reach 26 degrees, Girona 28 and Córdoba 31. Cádiz, Granada, Murcia and Almería could approach 30 degrees.
The red rainfall warning, the swollen Besòs and the continuing power failures all call for caution. General mobility restrictions may have been lifted, but the weather emergency remains active. Authorities are telling people to avoid unnecessary exposure to areas that can flood.
