Valencia halts classes and closes public parks ahead of orange rain alert

Alert levels and rainfall forecasts

The State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) has placed the entirety of Valencia and Castellón provinces, along with the northern coast of Alicante, under an orange alert starting at 14:00 on Thursday, October 1. Forecasters project rainfall rates of up to 50 litres per square metre in a single hour, with 12-hour accumulations expected to reach 160 litres per square metre along the Valencia coast and southern Castellón coast. Interior sectors of Valencia and Castellón face expected 12-hour totals of 120 litres per square metre, while northern Castellón could receive 100 litres per square metre.

The orange warning period will remain in effect until 12:00 on Friday, October 2, across Castellón, coastal Valencia, and northern Alicante. Ahead of the primary front, yellow warnings for storms and localized hail apply on Wednesday evening across the southern interior of Valencia and inland Alicante. Emergency planners have also issued yellow warnings for Thursday storms that may bring localized hail and very strong wind gusts.

School suspensions and educational measures

Valencia City Council held an emergency Cecopal meeting on Wednesday to approve preventive measures for Thursday and Friday. School operations will halt entirely across facilities located in designated flood-prone districts and areas previously affected by the 2024 DANA storm. The suspension applies to local facilities such as CEIP Forn d'Alcedo, CEIP Padre Manjón in La Torre, IES Ravatxol in Castellar-Oliveral, and CEIP Camí de l'Horta in Benimàmet-Beniferri.

Classes will also stop across the popular university branches, occupational centres, and senior day centres in those specific districts. For schools operating in unaffected sectors of the municipality, local authorities have directed administrators to suspend all outdoor playground activities. Local police, firefighters, and Civil Protection personnel will remain deployed throughout the storm period to monitor vulnerable transit points.

Municipal closures and public space restrictions

The city will close the Turia Gardens to the public at 12:00 on Thursday, alongside municipal cemeteries and libraries situated inside public parks. Cultural programming will also pause, leading to the cancellation of scheduled performances at the Palau de la Música and the International Day of Older Persons gathering in the Palau Gardens. Extraordinary open-air street markets in Cabanyal and Torrefiel will halt trade at 13:00 on Thursday, while Friday markets in Benimaclet, Malva-rosa, Monteolivete, and Castellar-L'Oliveral will not assemble.

To assist vulnerable residents, the city council will open its three Social Emergency Attention Centres (CAES) in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Benimaclet, and El Carme. Municipal sports foundation outdoor events will stop citywide, and private venue organizers across the city have received advisories urging the public to minimize non-essential travel.

Water management and dam safety precautions

Regional emergency services have initiated water control measures across nearby catchments to manage rising water volumes. The Devesa environmental service has requested the Albufera Drainage Board to open floodgates, lowering water levels in the Albufera lagoon before downpours commence. In the interior, the Emergency Coordination Centre confirmed controlled water releases from the Contreras Dam into the downstream river system.

The regional emergency management agency issued direct operational guidelines to local administrations:

Municipalities and emergency management bodies should maintain necessary monitoring of all alerts to activate response protocols in advance and establish relevant preventive measures.

Officials have instructed downstream municipalities along the river basin to warn agriculturalists, irrigation communities, and riverside recreation sites about rising river discharge.