Record rainfall disrupts Barcelona and halts train services
The heaviest rainfall fell overnight from Saturday to Sunday in Barcelona and surrounding municipalities.
There is news on this story (Sunday, 4 October 2026, 13:02): Severe storms in Catalonia claim two lives, one person missing
Follow-up to: Catalonia cancels activities amid extreme weather Saturday, 3 October 2026, 22:01
Barcelona saw exceptionally heavy rain overnight from Saturday to Sunday. In the Raval district, 178.3 litres per square metre were recorded, according to the Catalan weather service Meteocat, while most regional train services were suspended.
The reading in Raval is the highest in that station’s twenty-year measurement series, Meteocat reported according to the EFE news agency. Daily records were also reported at the Zona Universitària and Badalona-Museu stations, with 147 and 135.1 litres per square metre respectively. The figures apply to individual measuring stations and do not automatically represent the whole of Barcelona.
The rain fell across a wider area around the Catalan capital. Water flowed into the streets in parts of L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Cornellà and other municipalities. The Catalan authorities anticipated rapid rises in rivers and streams and urged residents to travel only if necessary.
The weather service maintained the highest-level warnings in Barcelona. These concerned possible rainfall totals of more than 200 millimetres in 24 hours, more than 90 millimetres in three hours and more than 40 millimetres in half an hour. These are warning thresholds, not a finding that those amounts fell everywhere.
The effects were particularly visible on public transport. Rodalies de Catalunya suspended services on almost all suburban and regional lines from 20.00 on Saturday until 14.00 on Sunday. According to the railway operator, only the RL3 and RL4 lines continued running; line R16 operated on a limited basis between L’Hospitalet de l’Infant and Tortosa, while conditions allowed.
The measure affected, among others, lines R1, R2, R2 Nord, R2 Sud, R3, R4, R7, R8, R11, R13, R14 and R15. Replacement bus services on part of the R3 were also suspended. According to Rodalies, the decision was intended to avoid exposing passengers and staff to unsafe conditions and to allow the infrastructure to be checked.
The Catalan government had earlier imposed restrictions in twenty comarques because of the flood risk. The situation is therefore a new development within the severe weather that had already led to activities being cancelled on Saturday. A full overview of the damage, any casualties and the resumption of train services was not yet available at 04.54. The rainfall totals are measurements; no separate conclusion about the role of climate change can be drawn from this single event.
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The key facts were confirmed by Meteocat, Rodalies and reporting from EFE and Catalunya Press. The text clearly distinguishes between measured rainfall, warning thresholds and damage information that was still unavailable.
- confirmed 178.3 litres of rain per square metre fell in Barcelona-Raval, the highest value in twenty years for that station. — Reported on the basis of Meteocat by EFE/Infobae. source
- confirmed Zona Universitària and Badalona-Museu also reached daily records of 147 and 135.1 millimetres respectively. — The values and record status are attributed to Meteocat by EFE/Infobae. source
- confirmed Meteocat used warnings for more than 200 millimetres in 24 hours, 90 millimetres in three hours and 40 millimetres in thirty minutes. — Meteocat’s current warning tables list these thresholds. source
- confirmed Rodalies suspended almost all services from 20.00 until 14.00 on Sunday 4 October. — The railway operator explicitly gives the start time, end time and affected lines. source
- confirmed RL3 and RL4 continued running, while R16 operated on a limited basis between L’Hospitalet de l’Infant and Tortosa. — This is stated in Rodalies’ official service notice. source
- confirmed The Catalan authorities imposed restrictions in twenty comarques because of the flood risk. — Catalan civil protection published an official measure to this effect on 3 October. source
Editor's note
The reported measurements, active warnings and announced train restrictions are certain. The final assessment of damage, casualties and the precise duration of the disruptions was not yet available at 04.54; the rainfall measurements are specific to individual stations.Sources
- El temps a Barcelona — Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya
- El barrio del Raval de Barcelona ya acumula 178 mm de lluvia, máximo registro en 20 años — Infobae / EFE
- Suspendido el servicio de Rodalies de Catalunya debido a las condiciones meteorológicas adversas — Rodalies de Catalunya
- Notícies de Protecció Civil — Departament d’Interior i Seguretat Pública van Catalonië
- Barcelona supera els 178 litres i el Besòs multiplica per 50 el seu cabal — Catalunya Press
The story so far
- Saturday, 3 October 2026, 22:01 Catalonia cancels activities amid extreme weather
- Sunday, 4 October 2026, 04:56 Record rainfall disrupts Barcelona and halts train services (this article)
- Sunday, 4 October 2026, 10:59 Death in severe storm, Catalonia maintains alert level
- Sunday, 4 October 2026, 13:02 Severe storms in Catalonia claim two lives, one person missing
More on this in Dutch media
- Trouw — „barcelona catalonië”
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- FD — „barcelona catalonië”