Two Dead as ‘Mini-Hurricane’ Floods Swamp Spain’s Catalonia
Two people have died and another is missing after torrential rain and flooding battered Spain’s Catalonia region, in the worst downpour Barcelona has seen in at least two decades. The Catalonia floods struck over the weekend as an exceptional Mediterranean weather system stalled over the northeast of the country.
Catalan leader Salvador Illa confirmed on Sunday that a man died after a wall collapsed in Tordera, a town north of Barcelona. A second person drowned in a flooded garage in Montornès del Vallès, firefighters said, while emergency services searched for a person swept away by a stream in Pineda de Mar, 52 kilometres north of Barcelona.
“There are two fatalities and at least one person missing,” David Borrell, head of the Catalonia region’s fire service, told a press conference.
A red alert and a ‘mini-hurricane’ warning
Catalan authorities issued a rare red alert and urged residents to stay indoors from 8pm on Saturday until 2pm on Sunday, warning that a “mini-hurricane” could move ashore. Sarai Sarroca, director of the regional weather service Meteocat, said the core of an exceptional weather system was sitting over the Mediterranean.
The rainfall was extraordinary. Rescue services said more than 200 millimetres of rain fell in several locations around Barcelona, with 190.8 litres per square metre recorded in the El Raval district. The Besòs river passed its danger threshold, and Spain’s civil protection agency sent emergency alerts to five Catalan counties.
How the Catalonia floods disrupted daily life
Homes were flooded and cars left submerged in Bellvitge and Cornellà near Barcelona, while large pools of water formed on motorways around the city. Firefighters rescued motorists trapped in floodwaters, some forced onto the roofs of their vehicles.
Flights were cancelled or delayed at Barcelona airport, and all local train services were disrupted. Shops shut early, several football matches were called off, and a performance of Verdi’s Aida at Barcelona’s Liceu opera house was cancelled. By Sunday afternoon, Catalonia’s medical emergency service said it had attended to 237 people, with 51 taken to hospital, according to La Vanguardia.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the situation as “very complicated” and urged people to avoid unnecessary journeys and follow official emergency instructions.
Storms move north
The Spanish meteorological office, AEMET, said the storms began to ease around Barcelona by midday on Sunday but were moving north toward Girona, where the Ridaura and Daró rivers had burst their banks. Residents near both rivers were told to stay away from the affected areas.
Persistent downpours also battered eastern Spain and parts of Castilla-La Mancha, where a 102-year-old woman died on Saturday, officials said.
Scientists say human-driven climate change is intensifying the Mediterranean storms that typically strike eastern Spain in autumn, as warmer seas feed greater evaporation and heavier rainfall.
Frequently asked questions
How many people died in the Catalonia floods?
Two people died: one when a wall collapsed in Tordera and another who drowned in a flooded garage in Montornès del Vallès. One person remains missing in Pineda de Mar.
What is a ‘mini-hurricane’?
It is the term used by Catalonia’s Meteocat weather service for an intense, compact Mediterranean storm system with hurricane-like characteristics that threatened to move ashore over the weekend.
Was Barcelona’s airport affected?
Yes. Flights at Barcelona airport were cancelled or delayed, and all local train services were disrupted by the deluge.
Is the danger over?
AEMET said the storms eased around Barcelona by midday Sunday but moved north toward Girona, where river flooding remained a threat. Authorities urged residents to keep following official guidance.
