weather

Temperatures surpass 40°C in many parts of Catalonia over scorching weekend

Many areas south of Barcelona flooded, as authorities warn that total rainfall could reach 70 liters

Some areas are to apply for government aid after heavy storm leaves thousands of euros damage in its wake

Snow chains necessary on some roads, warned Catalan Traffic Service

The flatlands in the counties near the city of Lleida (‘Pla de Lleida’ in Catalan) are probably the least touristy area of Catalonia and are known for having fog during most of the winter. Now this area located in western Catalonia is trying to reverse the negative view that this meteorological phenomenon implies. Tourism entrepreneurs have created a website promoting fog, with the slogan “Think positive, think fog”, and have now organised two walking routes through the countryside, visiting different villages and heritage monuments.

Some roads have been blocked for a few hours and thousands of children had their schools shut down for the day. These have been the main effects of a small snowstorm that covered most of Catalonia during Wednesday morning. Catalonia has a wide diversity of landscapes, combining alpine mountains with river deltas, flat agricultural plains with rocky coasts, hills covered by forests with sandy beaches. This diversity is concentrated in an area the size of Belgium, which results in a wide diversity of climates. In the Pyrenees, snow is present for most of the winter, but this is not the case for the rest of Catalonia. In the flatlands around Lleida or in hilly areas of Girona or the northern part of Barcelona Province, it tends to snow at least once per year, but not in the rest of the country, where it only snows once every 4 or 5 years. Therefore, when snow arrives, transport problems and other issues tend to be also present.

It is expected that the heat wave will last from Thursday to Saturday and that temperatures will climb to at least 34ºC throughout Catalonia. The Catalan Government has closed eight forest areas of high risk and has limited agricultural activity. Civil Protection is on ‘pre-alert’ in 27 counties and firefighters have began pre-emptive surveillance of areas that will be at risk. In other developments, the Catalan Police have found DNA on the cigarette butt which started the fires in Portbou.

Almost all of Catalonia was covered in a blanket of snow on Thursday morning. The Siberian cold front affecting the entire European continent arrived in Catalonia midweek. All emergency services have been put on alert, but no major incidences have occurred. However, almost 900 schools were forced to close their doors at noon on Thursday and school transport in some counties has been suspended on Friday as a precautionary measure.

Tomàs Molina, Catalan public television's weatherman, answers: “It only rains 100 days a year here, but when it does, it rains a lot, almost like Monsoon season in India.”

The 27th of August had one of the highest recorded temperatures in history. Locals are welcoming cool autumn weather after the scorching summer heat.