Tarragona Faces Peak Risk Hours Due to Torrential Rains

Civil Protection keeps the INUNCAT plan active and the alert in four regions of southern Tarragona until 14:00 hours. Meteocat places the area at level 5 out of 6 for rain intensity.

This Friday night has passed under alert for torrential rains in southern Tarragona and the Ebro Lands. Civil Protection has activated the INUNCAT plan and extended the alert situation until 14:00 hours in the regions of Bajo Campo, Bajo Ebro, Ribera de Ebro, and Montsiá, as reported by the Generalitat.

During Thursday night, the Generalitat sent an ES-Alert message to mobile phones in these four regions to warn of the continuation of the episode and to ask for caution regarding the expected precipitation. Meteocat places these areas at level 5 out of 6 for rain intensity, as reported by eldebate.com.

The forecast points to locally torrential downpours, with the possibility of exceeding 90 litres per square metre in three hours in coastal and pre-coastal areas of Tarragona, and accumulating more than 200 litres in 24 hours in the Ebro Lands.

The Generalitat also warns of the risk that storms may become stationary and cause rapid responses from rivers, streams, and small ravines. Civil Protection urges avoiding flood-prone areas, fords, and other low points, and not to cross flooded areas either on foot or by vehicle.

The episode already caused incidents during Thursday. Until 21:00 hours, the 112 phone line had received 126 calls related to weather conditions, and the Medical Emergency System had carried out 12 interventions, with one person taken to hospital for less serious injuries. At that time, Civil Protection had no record of traffic or electricity supply issues.

Emergency services also carried out several operations related to the rains during the afternoon. The Firefighters of the Generalitat reported 55 alerts attended since 11:00 hours and three services directly related to the episode between 16:00 and 19:00 hours, including the inspection of a port area and the removal of fallen tree branches.

Several municipalities in Bajo Ebro and Montsiá have decided to suspend classes this Friday in anticipation of new intense precipitation. Among them are Tortosa, Alcanar, Amposta, Freginals, La Ràpita, Mas de Barberans, Masdenverge, Santa Bàrbara, and Deltebre.

At the beginning of this Friday, the episode remains active and the alert continues until noon. The main risk is now concentrated in southern Catalonia, where Civil Protection maintains vigilance due to the possibility of new intense rains and flash floods in small watercourses.

The situation, therefore, remains under monitoring in the coming hours, although the official information available so far does not report a balance of major emergencies specifically occurring during the early morning.