Police lift traffic restrictions in southern Catalonia as DANA storm subsides

A new DANA or 'cold drop', the weather phenomenon responsible for the devastating floods in Valencia, hit Catalonia again on Wednesday.

The southern parts of Catalonia bore the brunt of the storm, with some areas recording over 40 liters per square meter in just half an hour.

The five hardest hit regions were Tarragonès, Montsià, Baix Ebre, Ribera d'Ebre and Baix Camp.

Montsià and Baix Ebre were even placed under red alert (level 5 out of 6) from noon to 6 pm.

In the five counties, schools and universities were closed, affecting more than 400 educational centers with a total of 12,864 students.

Mobility was also restricted as a precautionary measure, with restrictions on the AP-7, C-14, N-340, T-11, N-420, TV-3141, A-7, N-240 and C-37 roads until midnight.

Due to the restrictions, Catalonia's main highway, the AP-7, saw long queues in the morning as the police Mossos d'Esquadra enforced the restrictions.

Many drivers facing Mossos d'Esquadra controls were confused, and some even angry, as most of those affected were truck drivers.

Francisco Moya, a freelancer working for a frozen produce company, had to do a different route early in the morning to travel from Barcelona to Constantí, near Tarragona.

"The highway was blocked from Torredembarra, and I had to do a large diversion to reach my destination," Moya told the Catalan News Agency (ACN).

He said the blockade was a "little bit excessive," adding that police should take into account his job.

At 6 pm, the Mossos d'Esquadra lifted the controls on all the roads and the mobility restrictions, as authorities considered the episode to be over.

Trains suspended

Trains were also affected, with the Rodalies commuter train lines reducing service throughout the day.

The affected lines were: the R15, not working between Reus and Zaragoza, the R16, with speed restrictions, the R17, suspended between Tarragona and Salou - Port Aventura.

In the afternoon, all trains between Barcelona and Valencia were suspended due to the DANA storm.

112 emergency hotline

The 112 emergency number received 656 calls about rain-related incidents by 4 pm. 

Most of the incidents occurred in southern Catalonia, but some were also recorded in the Barcelona area in the morning. 

Despite the high number of calls, no major incidents have been reported so far.