Storm Austen set to bring orange coastal alerts and waves over 7 m to northern Spain

Orange alerts across the north

AEMET has placed parts of Spain's northern coast under orange warnings for coastal phenomena on Friday, 23 October, as the storm Austen approaches. The British Met Office gave the storm its name because of its strength over the British Isles and other parts of northern Europe, while Spain is expected to feel a weaker impact. Orange warnings cover the coasts of A Coruña, Lugo and Pontevedra in Galicia, the Asturian coast, Cantabria, and the Basque provinces of Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia. Yellow coastal warnings apply in Girona, and a yellow wind warning covers the pre-coastal strip of southern Tarragona.

Wave and wind forecasts

AEMET expects waves of five to seven metres along the Asturian coast and much of the Galician coast, with the most extreme seas reaching eight metres off Cantabria and the Basque Country. Westerly winds of 62 to 74 km/h, which AEMET describes as force 8, are forecast along the orange-warned coasts. Cantabria's orange alert begins at 05:00 and lasts the full day, with a combined north-westerly sea of five to eight metres. The regional government has asked residents to keep away from piers, beaches, breakwaters and the shoreline, to secure doors, windows and awnings, and to dial 112 as soon as possible if they get into trouble.

Basque timetable and high tide

The Basque government will activate an orange maritime-coastal alert for the first two miles from 12.00 to 21.00 on Friday, 23 October, as sea conditions worsen. Euskalmet expects significant wave height to pass 3.5 metres in the early hours, reach about 5 metres toward midday and could top that level from noon. Westerly winds could produce gusts of 80 to 100 km/h in the most exposed areas during the first half of the day. A coast-impact warning runs from 15.00 to 17.00, coinciding with high tide at 15.40 and waves of 5 to 5.5 metres. Wave height should ease to around 4 metres by late evening, while a yellow alert stays active until 9.00 on Saturday, 24 October, as winds and seas gradually weaken.

Galicia and Santander measures

The Xunta, Galicia's regional government, activates an orange alert for coastal storms across the whole Galician coastline from the night of Thursday, 22 October. Forecasts show waves up to seven metres on the A Coruña coast and the Lugo Mariña from the first hours of the night, while Pontevedra could see waves of six metres from early Friday, 23 October. Organised sea sports in the affected zones, including the Xogade programme and federated activities, are cancelled except where the alert protocol allows exceptions. In Santander, the city council will activate its preventive plan for the sea storm. Councillor for citizen protection Eduardo Castillo explained that under the protocol for orange alerts and a tide coefficient above 80, parking is banned from the Manuel García Lago roundabout to the end of the Chiqui stretch, and traffic is blocked at a cut-off point near the hotel underpass. The minizoo and the La Magdalena galleons close from dawn to dusk on Friday, 23 October, and the plan will adjust as the storm evolves.

Rest of Spain and temperatures

On Friday, 23 October, high pressure should keep most of the peninsula and the Balearics stable, with rain limited to Galicia, the Cantabrian coast and the Pyrenees. Those areas could see snow at high elevations, and rain may reach north-eastern Catalonia late in the day. In the Canary Islands, cloud and rain are expected on the most mountainous islands, with trade winds gusting strongly in exposed areas. Maximum temperatures are forecast to rise in Mediterranean regions and the north-east interior, while most of the rest of the peninsula cools. Alicante is expected to reach 29 degrees, followed by Málaga and Santa Cruz de Tenerife at 27 degrees, while Ávila, Lugo and Segovia could see about 14 degrees.

Alicante29

Málaga27

Santa Cruz de Tenerife27

Alicante

29 °C

Málaga

27 °C

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

27 °C

Data from the article text

Adverse conditions could extend into the weekend, and temperatures are expected to climb clearly over that period.