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Five counties near Barcelona suspend classes and limit mobility due to torrential rain
Five counties in the southern and western area around Barcelona will face a morning that is practically at a standstill this Wednesday 9 September because of the risk of torrential rain. Between 7:00 and 17:00, mobility restrictions will be in force and classes and part of health and care activity will be suspended in Baix Llobregat, Vallès Occidental, Garraf, Alt Penedès and Baix Penedès.
The measure directly affects municipalities such as Sant Cugat, Terrassa, Sabadell, Castelldefels, Viladecans, Sant Boi, Gavà, Sitges and Vilanova i la Geltrú. Travel will be permitted only for force-majeure reasons and essential services, while Generalitat calls for teleworking wherever possible.
Educational and university activity, certain day-care services and non-urgent, non-essential healthcare activity are also suspended during that period. The aim is to reduce as far as possible the number of journeys during the hours when the episode may be most dangerous.
The most delicate period is expected in the morning, especially approximately between 6:00 and 12:00. Meteocat has set the maximum danger at 5 out of 6 in the five comarcas and warns that, locally, more than 40 litres per square metre may fall in only 30 minutes. If several storms regenerate over the same area, accumulations could reach between 60 and 90 litres in three hours.
The showers may also be accompanied by thunderstorms, hail and strong or very strong wind gusts. Protecció Civil has sent an ES-Alert message to phones located in the five comarcas to warn of the restrictions and ask people to avoid streambeds, ravines and other places liable to flood.
For anyone who must travel unavoidably, the recommendation is not to regard certain roads as “safe”, but to prioritise the main network, such as motorways and dual carriageways. Trànsit also identifies several routes that may encounter problems during the episode, including C-58, C-16, A-2, B-23, AP-7, C-31 and C-32.
Barcelona city is outside the five comarcas subject to these general restrictions. The closure of schools in the capital or the mobility restriction applied in Baix Llobregat or Vallès Occidental has not been decreed for now. Ayuntamiento has, however, activated the Plan Municipal de Emergencia at alert phase for insufficient drainage ahead of rain that could begin during the early hours.
In the capital, the council recommends cleaning and checking drains and downpipes, removing objects from terraces and balconies that could be swept away, protecting electrical appliances and avoiding crossing flooded streets or crossings. When driving, it asks people to reduce speed and increase their safety distance.
There are also particular decisions that may affect people travelling within Barcelona. Universitat de Barcelona has decided to close all its buildings this Wednesday and move activity to teleworking, even though some of its faculties are outside the five comarcas subject to general restrictions. UAB, in Vallès Occidental, also suspends all in-person activity in Bellaterra, Sabadell and Parc Taulí.
The episode also brings an abrupt end to the heat of recent days. In Barcelona, maximum temperatures will fall from around 33 ºC this Tuesday to values close to 25–26 ºC on Wednesday, with storms and a marked drop in temperature.