By Monday, September 28, 2026, rain and storm alerts covered twelve autonomous communities across Spain. Catalonia was placed under an orange alert, and the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) warned that more than 100 litres per square metre could fall in a few hours, enough to flood streets and disrupt daily life. EFE reported that this is one of the broadest weather alerts in recent years.
Catalonia faces the highest risk. The orange alert begins at 21:00 and runs through the night. Rainfall could reach 40 litres per square metre in one hour in the Prepirineo, Barcelona’s coastal and pre-coastal areas, and the central depression. Tarragona’s northern and southern coasts are also under warning, with Aemet forecasting up to 100 litres per square metre in two to three hours. Such rainfall could overwhelm drains and strain emergency crews. Local and national bulletins say the storms will move into Girona and Lleida on September 29, with alert times varying by area.
For the full episode, official forecasts indicate totals of 60 to 100 litres per square metre in some Catalan regions, raising the risk of sudden flash floods, EFE reported.
Yellow alerts cover much of Spain. In Lleida, storms could bring hail and wind gusts of up to 90 km/h. Aragón faces similar threats in Albarracín, Jiloca, Gúdar, Maestrazgo and the western Ebro valley, where up to 20 litres per square metre could fall in an hour. Hailstones under two centimetres and strong winds are likely. The Pyrenees, Huesca and Zaragoza’s Cinco Villas are braced for 40 litres over twelve hours. Aemet says yellow alerts are less severe than orange alerts but still call for caution. Local flooding and dangerous roads are possible.
Yellow warnings are in place for 15 litres per square metre in an hour in Andalusia’s Grazalema, the Strait of Cádiz, and parts of Málaga and Huelva, with hail also possible. Badajoz and Cáceres provinces in Extremadura face similar rainfall rates. Strong gusts and hail could affect the north and center. EFE reported that Aragón, Andalusia, Extremadura and Castilla y León are also at risk alongside Catalonia.
Alerts also cover the south and center of Castilla y León, Salamanca, Zamora, the Cantabrian mountains and northern Burgos, where 15 litres could fall in an hour, accompanied by hail and strong winds. Further north, Asturias, Cantabria, Galicia, Navarra and the Basque Country are under yellow warnings for heavy rain and storms. Hail is also likely.
The orange alert in Catalonia is scheduled to begin at 21:00, initially affecting Barcelona and Tarragona before extending to Girona and Lleida on Tuesday. Depending on local conditions, some warnings will remain active until 11:00, 15:00 or 18:00, 20minutos reported.
Valencia’s southern Castellón and the northern and southern interiors of Valencia province are bracing for 20 litres per square metre in an hour. Castilla-La Mancha’s Serranía de Cuenca could see 40 litres in twelve hours. Ceuta, on the African coast, is also under a yellow alert for 15 litres in an hour and thunderstorms.
An orange alert signals real danger to normal life. Yellow alerts are less severe but still pose risks to certain sectors and require people to stay alert. Most warnings begin in the afternoon or evening. In parts of Andalusia, alerts began at 07:00.
Spain’s weather has been unsettled lately, with heat one day and storms the next. As russpain.com reported earlier, the north had already seen sudden temperature drops and unstable skies, setting the stage for this escalation.
With so many regions on alert and Catalonia facing the highest risk, the coming hours will test local systems and emergency plans. The sudden shift from summer heat to violent storms shows the severity of Spain’s weather swings. Residents and officials are being urged to stay alert and act quickly if flooding or severe weather hits. The rapid change has put preparation in focus as Spain’s weather grows increasingly unpredictable.
