Catalonia cancels activities amid extreme weather
In Barcelona and nineteen other Catalan comarcas, cultural and public activities have been cancelled because of heavy rainfall.
On Saturday evening, Catalonia banned or cancelled activities in twenty comarcas because of the risk of exceptionally heavy rainfall. In Barcelona, parks and municipal facilities have among other things been closed, and cultural events have been cancelled.
The Catalan authorities called on residents to limit travel. According to the meteorological service Meteocat, a red warning level was issued for parts of Catalonia because of the combination of very intense rain and large amounts of precipitation.
The measure applies to the coast and inland areas of, among others, Barcelona, Girona and Tarragona. In total, it concerns twenty comarcas, administrative regions comparable to a Dutch safety region or a group of municipalities.
Barcelona cancelled activities in public buildings and outdoor spaces. Parks, the Zoo, Park Güell, municipal museums and several markets also closed. Theatres, cinemas, concert halls and festivals in the affected regions were instructed to cancel planned activities when this required people to travel.
According to Europa Press, Barcelona’s emergency phase under the municipal disaster plan remains active because of possible problems with rainwater drainage. The city also announced temporary restrictions on parts of public transport and closed facilities where flooding could occur or evacuation could become difficult.
The Spanish meteorological service AEMET warned of locally very large amounts of precipitation. According to AEMET, a red alert means that there is exceptional danger and that vulnerable areas may face very serious consequences. A warning is a forecast, not a measurement of the final rainfall.
The situation follows earlier flooding in parts of Spain. So far, it has not been established what damage the new downpours will ultimately cause. The authorities are therefore stressing prevention above all: stay indoors where requested, avoid closed roads and continue to follow official warnings.
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The measures and warnings have been confirmed by multiple open sources. The text distinguishes between predicted risks and established damage.
- confirmed Catalonia cancelled activities in twenty comarcas. — Ara and Europa Press reported the measure and the number of regions. source
- confirmed Barcelona closed parks and cancelled municipal activities. — Europa Press cites Barcelona City Council. source
- confirmed AEMET defines a red alert as exceptional danger. — This appears in AEMET’s explanation of the warning levels. source
- confirmed The final damage was not yet fully known. — The reporting consulted mainly describes warnings and preventive measures. source
Editor's note
The red warnings and preventive closures were reported by Catalan and Spanish sources. The final rainfall totals and damage were not yet fully known at 21:55.Sources
- El temps a Catalunya — Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya
- Barcelona cancela por lluvia actos en equipamientos municipales o al aire libre y cierra parques — Europa Press
- Se suspenden todas las actividades culturales ante la alerta de lluvias torrenciales en Cataluña — Ara
- Interpretación de los avisos meteorológicos — AEMET