Torrential rain triggers emergency alert across Barcelona area

Heavy rains on Monday led to the Civil Protection to issue an ES-Alert in Barcelona and surrounding counties. 

Residents were urged to avoid unnecessary travel, stay away from rivers, streams and ravines and, if water enters the building, avoid basements and move to upper floors.

The alert was sent in the Alt Penedès, Garraf, Baix Llobregat, Barcelonès, Vallès Occidental, Maresme and Selva counties.

In Vallès Oriental, Civil Protection also urged residents to confine at home, and warned about the risk of streams overflowing. The confinement has since been lifted, but authorities will monitor the situation in the area overnight.

Fire crews responded to 103 rain-related calls between 8am and 10am, mostly in Vallès Oriental (28) and Maresme (21), including 13 rescues of people trapped in stranded vehicles.

Since the weather event began this weekend, firefighters received 2,711 calls, while the 112 emergency line received 8,914 calls tied to 6,595 incidents by 10am, most of them from Barcelona (2,021) and L'Hospitalet de Llobregat (908).

Schools closed

Classes were suspended Monday in Vilanova del Vallès, La Roca del Vallès, Granollers, Òrrius and Canovelles, according to the Catalan Department of Education. Other schools in the Barcelona area also did not open because of the rain.

The department said Sunday that nine Barcelona schools and other education centers would stay closed, in towns including Les Franqueses del Vallès, Malgrat de Mar, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, El Masnou, Granollers and Ripollet. 

Another 87 schools, secondary schools and adult education centers are having problems but planned to open, including 24 that had to change how they operate.

Heavy rain also disrupted Barcelona's metro service, with sections of the lines L3, L4, L9N and L10N suspended, with buses covering some routes.

Some platforms on L5 and L11 were out of service on Monday too, and several station entrances are closed.

On the FGC regional rail network, the L7 line is suspended and the rest of the service is running with altered frequencies.

In addition, various highways and major roads have been blocked due to the heavy rain, according to Catalan traffic authorities.

Rainfall Totals

Granollers recorded 108mm of rain between 6:30am and 1pm, making it the hardest-hit city in Catalonia, according to Meteocat data. A total of 355 mm has fallen there since Saturday night, including nearly 75mm between 7am and 8am Monday.

Barcelona's Fabra Observatory, in the north of the city, recorded 74.8mm on Monday, while the city center totaled 43.5mm and Badalona 55.4mm.

Several locations in the Vallès and Garraf areas have also passed 30mm, including Castellbisbal (38.4), Sant Cugat del Vallès (37.6) and Vilanova i la Geltrú (30.5).