Severe flash floods hit Alcanar after 77 mm (3 inches) of rain in 30 minutes – Catalonia, Spain

Severe flooding wreaked havoc in several parts of Spain over the past couple of days, forcing the closure of roads and leaving around 10 000 customers without power.

The worst-hit was the town of Alcanar in the northeast of Catalonia, where some streets turned into raging rivers, sweeping away cars towards to coastline.¹

Emergency personnel rescued dozens of people trapped in vehicles, houses and camping facilities, and a sports arena was set up to shelter people if needed, officials said.

Catalonia’s regional weather service Meteocat said 233.5 mm (9.19 inches) of rain fell in Alcanar in 24 hours on September 1, including 77.7 mm (3.05 inches) in 30 minutes. The nearby town of Port dels Alfacs recorded 51.5 mm (2.02 inches) of rain in 30 minutes.²

While no fatalities have been reported, two people were treated for mild hypothermia, local emergency head Ricard Exposito told a media briefing, adding that emergency services had received over 350 calls in a seven-hour span.

Intense rain and flooding was also reported in the central Castilla-La Mancha and Navarra regions, halting the high-speed rail link between the Spanish capital Madrid and Toledo.

References:

¹ Spain floods: Torrential rain inundates towns, cutting electricity and rail services – The Sun

² Spain – Flash Floods in Catalonia After 70mm of Rain in 30 Minutes – FloodList

Featured image credit: Miguel Alonso