Spain issues orange weather alerts for five regions as incoming storm threatens eastern provinces
Spanish emergency authorities have activated orange alerts across five autonomous communities ahead of an incoming DANA expected to bring up to 200 litres of rain per square metre.
Severe weather warnings issued across eastern Spain
Spain's State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) has placed nine autonomous communities on weather alerts starting Thursday, with five regions under an orange warning for intense rain and storms: Aragon, the Balearic Islands, Castilla-La Mancha, Catalonia, and the Valencian Community. The incoming weather system will begin with an Atlantic front crossing the Iberian Peninsula before forming an isolated depression at high levels (DANA) to the west. This system will combine with a low-pressure area between the southeastern coast and the Balearic Islands, directing moist Mediterranean air into eastern and northeastern areas until at least Monday morning. Orange warnings for rain will cover provinces including Alicante, Castellón, Valencia, Teruel, Cuenca, Lleida, Tarragona, and Mallorca, with yellow alerts extending to regions including Murcia, Andalusia, and Navarre.
- AEMET issues special advisory and Valencian CECOPI convenes coordination meeting
- Catholic University of Valencia shifts to hybrid teaching format across campuses
- Valencia closes public parks, the Jardín del Turia, and municipal cemeteries
- AEMET orange alerts take effect and UPV switches afternoon classes online
- Heavy rains expand toward the Balearic Islands and school closures continue
- DANA weather instability forecast to persist until Monday morning
Valencia prepares for flood risks and heavy runoff
In the Valencian Community, regional emergency services have activated orange alerts starting at 14:00 on Thursday for Castellón, Valencia, and northern Alicante. Forecasts indicate rainfall rates of 50 litres per square metre in one hour and over 150 litres per square metre within six hours, with twelve-hour accumulations potentially reaching 160 litres per square metre. The regional minister for emergencies and interior, Juan Carlos Valderrama, chaired a coordination meeting of the Integrated Operational Coordination Centre (CECOPI) on Wednesday evening and noted that the alert could be upgraded to red if conditions worsen. Valderrama warned that soils across the region are already saturated from recent rainfall, while runoff risks are heightened in areas like the Sierra de Espadán, where a summer wildfire burned approximately 9,000 hectares.
The 160 litres per square metre forecast for twelve hours could fall in barely two hours. If the storms are static, we could be talking about up to 180 litres per square metre in twelve hours and 200 litres in twenty-four hours.
Authorities have advised residents in vulnerable zones to avoid non-essential road travel, stay clear of ravines and riverbeds, avoid using elevators, and move to upper floors if floodwaters rise.
- Peak hourly rate
- 50 l/m²
- Under 6 hours (AEMET threshold)
- 150 l/m²
- 12 hours (standard forecast)
- 160 l/m²
- 12 hours (static storms)
- 180 l/m²
- 24 hours (static storms)
- 200 l/m²
School cancellations and municipal closures
Precautionary closures and service adjustments will take effect across several municipalities in Valencia province on Thursday and Friday. The Valencia City Council has ordered the suspension of classes across more than 30 educational centres located in flood-prone districts and municipal subdivisions affected by the 2024 DANA, including Castellar-Oliveral, La Torre, Forn d'Alcedo, El Saler, and Pinedo. The city will also close municipal cemeteries, the Jardín del Turia, and all other public parks, gardens, and park-based libraries starting at 12:00 on Thursday. Cultural and sports events, including a concert at the Palau de la Música and an event for the International Day of Older Persons, have been cancelled. Higher education institutions have also adjusted operations: the Universitat Politècnica de València will switch its Vera and Gandia campuses to online classes at 14:00 under level 2 emergency protocols, while the Catholic University of Valencia will conduct hybrid classes across all locations.
