In the midst of returning across the Constitution Bridge, the Peninsula recorded a winter storm this Sunday that has put several communities on alert. What are the first snowfalls of the season have thus caused a thickness of up to 40 centimeters of snow in the surroundings of the Pyrenees and have completely affected numerous roads. The winds, in turn, have been strong and gusts have reached up to 130 kilometers per hour in some regions. The rains, on the other hand, have caused significant flooding of the rivers.
The highlight has occurred in the north of the peninsula. The snowfall has left up to 40 centimeters of snow in the high altitudes of the Western Pyrenees and up to 20 in some towns in the regions of Alta Ribagorça, the north of Pallars Sobirà and the Aran Valley. In these places, The drop in temperatures has also been notable, especially in the mountains, where this Sunday morning has become the coldest of the season.
Before the snowfall, up to 50 roads have been affected and the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) has asked to pay attention to the wheel, especially on the AP-66, in Asturias. The snow, furthermore, has been the cause of an accident on the A-8 near Berangain Cantabria, which has made circulation difficult. An accident has also occurred in Castellonon the A-23 near Barracas, and another in Guipuzcoaon the A-1 as it passes through Tolosa. Likewise, there has been a fourth in the Community of Madridspecifically on the A-1 in Lozoyuela.
In the capital, in fact, the return of many citizens to their homes has made traffic It is felt on several of the entrance roads to the city. This is the case of the A-1, in El Molar, the A-3, in Rivas-Vaciamadrid, or the A-6, in Torrelodones. Also in the province of Toledo, slow traffic has been recorded on the A-5, near Talavera de la Reina.
Significant river flooding
The rainfall has left significant accumulations in several regions and has caused a considerable increase in the flow of rivers such as the Nela, the Jerea, the Omecillo, the Bayas and the Zadorra, in the provinces of Burgos and Álava, as well as the Ega, the Arga and the Irati river, in Navarra. Faced with this scenario, the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation (CHE) does not rule out the possibility of extraordinary floodssince everything indicates that this situation will continue this Monday.
Thus, the CHE indicates that “it cannot be ruled out that some of these floods may be extraordinary”, although of high frequency, that is, with thresholds “slightly above the ordinary, although enough to cause overflow damage.” The Ebro, for its part, could reach 1400-1800 cubic meters per second between the afternoon of this Monday and the early hours of Tuesday in the section between Castejón and Tudela.
The winds, likewise, have blown with a force up to 130 kilometers per hour in the Basque Countrywhere up to 62.7 liters per square meter have also been collected in the town of Mallabia, as reported by the Basque Department of Security, which has detailed that winds of 127 km/h have been recorded in Oiz, 128 in Punta Galea , 121 in Santa Clara, 112 in Jaizkibel, 111 in Higer and 107 in Miramon.
The strong gusts have also strongly hit territories in Catalonia and the interior of the interior plateau, such as the Community of Madrid. These phenomena will also continue, at least, until this Monday at noon. The cold will continue to make an appearance at the beginning of the week and everything indicates that These days will continue to be marked by instabilitywith rains that will be distributed throughout almost the entire Peninsula.
Rescues in Catalonia and Aragon
Since the beginning of the cold and snow storm in the Aragonese Pyrenees, specialists from the Civil Guard have rescued a climber who spent the night trapped in the Ordesa National Park, four hikers who were surprised in the same space protected by a snow storm and a couple whose car was trapped in the snow on a track in the Sobrarbe region.
For their part, in Catalonia, firefighters rescued a total of seven hikers and one surfer.