Catalonia activates Es-Alert due to a possible Mediterranean mini-hurricane

Civil Protection and Meteocat warn of an episode of extreme rainfall with over 200 litres per square metre in a single day and request to restrict mobility in the Catalan coastal areas.

The Generalitat has activated the Es-Alert to warn the population of a meteorological episode that may exceed 200 litres per square metre in less than 24 hours. Most of this rain, according to prediction models, will concentrate in just 6 hours, which raises the risk of flash floods in the coastal and pre-coastal regions of Tarragona, Barcelona, and Girona.

The alert, which will reach mobile phones this afternoon, is part of the preventive measures decreed by Civil Protection starting this Saturday afternoon. The information, reported by Infobae, points to the formation of a Mesoscale Convective System (MCS), a phenomenon that can acquire characteristics of a tropical cyclone and which the director of Meteocat, Sara Sarroca, and the head of prediction, Santi Segalà, have described as “a Mediterranean mini-hurricane.”

Meteocat experts indicate that the rainfall situation already affecting Catalonia “can become much more complicated” in the coming hours, turning into “an exceptional episode.” In addition to torrential rainfall, tornadoes and waterspouts are not ruled out in some areas of the territory.

“This is not a joke,” emphasised the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, who urged citizens to respect preventive measures and described the episode as a “very complex meteorological situation.”

Illa insisted that this is a “mini hurricane” that will affect the entire Catalan coastal and pre-coastal area, and warned that the mobility restrictions decreed by Civil Protection must be taken seriously. The inland regions of Girona could join the affected areas tomorrow.

In light of this scenario, authorities recommend avoiding unnecessary travel, not crossing streams or flood-prone areas, and staying alert to official instructions. The Es-Alert sent to mobile phones will include specific instructions for each area and it is expected that the situation will evolve rapidly throughout the afternoon and night.