Civil Protection extends strong wind warning through the weekend 

Civil Protection has announced it will maintain the alert phase of the extreme winds plan activated as Storm Ciarán is expected to last until Sunday. 

The meteorological service predicts gusts of 40 km/h, hitting Barcelona, Tarragona, Lleida and Central Catalonia especially hard. In some places, winds could reach up to 70 km/h, and occasionally up to 130 km/h. 

On Friday morning, the strongest wind recorded was 138.2 km/h on the mountain of Puig Sesolles, in the Vallès Oriental county. 

Waves could reach a height 2.5m along the Catalan coast, according to forecasts. 

Catalonia's emergency number, 112, has received 745 calls since Storm Ciarán began. 

The Catalan Fire Department were called to 87 incidents overnight related to the strong winds caused by the storm. 

Most of the calls correspond to fallen trees or other objects. 

On the C-55 highway, a tree fell near Olesa de Montserrat, and in Hostalets de Pierola firefighters had to secure a high voltage tower to prevent it from falling. 

The storm caused a wall at Nova Mar Vella beach in Barcelona to fall. Municipal technicians are assessing the area and have stabilized the structure. 

In the Catalan capital on Thursday afternoon, nine people including seven minors were injured after a tree fell on the playground of a school in La Sagrera. 

Traffic was temporarily disrupted on Gran Via on Thursday afternoon when Christmas lights fell.