Catalonia flood alert downgraded after heavy rain passes

Heavy rainstorms caused widespread disruption across Catalonia on Thursday, bringing flooding, fallen trees, lightning strikes, and cancellations of trains, flights, and university classes.

The Civil Protection Agency ended the flood alert before 2pm, but maintained a pre-alert due to forecasts of continued heavy rainfall in northeastern Catalonia.

Precipitation in the region could reach up to 20mm in half an hour.

Authorities reiterated calls for caution during travel, outdoor activities, and in flood-prone areas.

Firefighters respond to 377 incidents 

Catalan firefighters (Bombers de la Generalitat) responded to 377 incidents up to 1 pm on Thursday, the majority in the metropolitan area. 

By emergency regions, most calls came from Metropolitan North (213), which includes Vallès. The rest came from Girona (73), Metropolitan South (41), followed by Terres de l'Ebre (21), Lleida (17), Centre (8), and Tarragona (4).

The majority of calls were for flooding in ground floors and garages, as well as fallen trees.

There were also reports of lightning striking trees on public streets and in private gardens, and of people trapped in their vehicles by floodwater, though no serious injuries were reported.

Barcelona's local fire deparment reported that, as of 10 am, they have carried out 39 interventions, 20 involving technical assistance, and 16 elevator rescues.

Meanwhile, the emergency number 112 received 924 calls. 

Most (323) of the calls came from Vallès Occidental county.

By municipality, the majority of calls were from Sabadell (132), Barcelona (81), and Cerdanyola del Vallès (54).

Local police officers in Sabadell, with the assistance of firefighters, had to rescue several people trapped in vehicles, according to the Catalan News Agency (ACN).

The emergency services opened the vehicle doors to free people trapped inside and escorted them safely.

81.7 mm in Caldes de Montbui

During the storm, 81.7 mm of rain fell in Caldes de Montbui, the highest total recorded in Catalonia by Meteocat.

Most of the rain fell between 7 and 9 am in the Vallès Oriental town, 30km north of Barcelona.

Rainfall across Catalonia was significant between midnight and 1 pm, with around 30 stations recording over 30 mm.

Benissanet (Ribera d'Ebre) saw 61.4 mm, the second-highest total in Catalonia, followed by El Masroig (Priorat) with 48.6 mm.

The downpours also affected the Barcelona metropolitan area, with 41 mm in Sabadell, and the Girona region, with Girona city recording 44.2 mm.

Snow at 1,700 meters above sea level 

While much of Catalonia saw torrential rain on Thursday, in the Catalan Pyrenees snow fell at 1,700 meters above sea level for the first time this season.

The Bonaigua and Cantó areas registered between four and ten centimeters of snowfall, with snowplow machines operating for the first time since last season.

The Port Ainé area saw around 10 centimeters of snowfall at an altitude of over 2,000 meters above sea level.

Situation "normalizing"

Around midday, Catalonia's interior minister, Núria Parlon, stated that the situation was "normalizing" and that the episode of heavy rainfall was expected to conclude around 1:30pm.

Parlon emphasized that there was less traffic on the roads this morning, noting that many people opted to work remotely.

According to traffic authorities, there were 22,000 fewer vehicles on the Barcelona metropolitan ring road than the same day last year.

"This is good news," Parlon said, highlighting that the reduction in traffic helped avoid potential risks, prevent congestion, and limit the need to deploy additional operational services.

She also noted that the information provided via the Es-Alert mobile phone warning issued on Wednesday evening, was "very useful" and justified.

Schools open

Schools remained open on Thursday, with Parlon saying it was not necessary to cancel classes, although she urged families to refrain from taking children to school if heavy rain was falling at the time of departure.

Speaking to Catalunya Ràdio in the morning, Parlon emphasised that schools are "safe spaces" and explained that any incidents should be reported to the relevant education services and coordinated with local councils.

She noted that the storm system had stalled longer than expected over the Vallès area.

"If it's raining heavily when it's time to go, don't leave the house, but classes have not been suspended," she said.

The minister urged "great caution" in light of the forecasts, but added that the storm is expected to pass quickly, and for that reason closing all schools was not deemed necessary, especially since conditions can vary significantly from one place to another.

Parlon stressed that each school should make decisions according to its own circumstances.

Extreme care when travelling

Catalonia's Civil Protection agency urged people not to go outside or travel during heavy downpours.

"Wherever it is raining heavily, we must be cautious," said Imma Solé, deputy director of Civil Protection, in an interview with the Catalan News Agency (ACN) on Thursday morning.

Solé emphasised that no serious incidents had been reported, though authorities were monitoring the situation.

So far,  she explained, the rain had caused isolated incidents such as people trapped in vehicles. For example, in Sant Cugat, a driver had to call 112 for assistance and was helped by local police to exit the car safely, without being in immediate danger.

Solé particularly warned against crossing riverbeds or flash-flood-prone areas, even if it is not raining locally, as upstream rainfall can quickly cause dangerous water surges capable of lifting vehicles or sweeping people away.

"Even on familiar roads, do not assume it is safe to cross," she added. "The current can carry debris or soil, and the vehicle can get stuck or even swept away."

While no general restrictions on activities were imposed, Solé explained that local alerts would be issued if exceptionally heavy rainfall or specific hazards are detected in particular areas.

"We are not limiting activities in general; we are asking people to exercise caution," she said, noting that conditions can change rapidly across short distances.

Catalan police, the Mossos d'Esquadra, were monitoring the Faneca ravine in Móra d'Ebre due to the heavy rainfall that fell overnight.

Travel disruption and university closures

The heavy rains that hit Catalonia on Thursday morning caused major disruption across the transport network.

At least 47 flights were canceled at Barcelona-El Prat Airport, with two additional flights diverted and numerous delays reported.

The heavy rains also caused disruptions across the Rodalies commuter rail network, with service cuts on four different lines.

On the roads, the C-17 highway was closed for a significant period in Mollet del Vallès between kilometers 11 and 12 in both directions, with detours set up through local streets and the C-33.

The BP-1413 in Cerdanyola del Vallès was also closed. Traffic authorities have issued warnings for drivers to exercise caution on the B-30 near Cerdanyola and the junction with the C-58.

Universities including UPF, UB, UPC, UAB, and UdG cancelled classes for the day.