Laurence Dollimore
THE tail of Storm Bert has brought heavy rain and strong winds to large parts of Spain from today.
Orange and yellow alerts have been activated in 11 regions, with state weather agency Aemet warning of winds that could exceed 100km/hr.
Yellow warnings for rain and wind are in place in Andalucia, Aragon, Castille y Leon, Cataluña, Extremedura and Galicia.
Up to 15 litres of rain per square metre are expected to fall within one hour in the provinces of Cadiz, Cordoba and Sevilla, while 40 litres are expected over 12 hours in many areas of the north.
There is also an ‘orange’ warning for maritime storms on the coasts of Galicia due to waves of up to six metres.
Meanwhile, yellow level warnings have been activated for strong seas in the communities of Asturias and Cantabria, with waves expected to reach five metres.
Yellow level warnings for winds of up to 80km/hr are active in the communities of Aragon, Castile y Leon, Castile-La Mancha, Cataluña, Navarre and La Rioja. They could surpass 100km/hr at high altitudes.
They will be especially strong in the northwest quadrant, in the Cantabrian Sea, in the Pyrenees and in the Iberian system, where they may locally become ‘hurricane-like’.
Aemet said that although temperatures will drop during Monday and Tuesday, the rest of the week will be warmer than normal for this time of year.
“On Tuesday there will be a drop in temperature, with maximums up to 10C cooler than Monday’s values,” said Duncan Wingen, an expert at Meteored.
“With the exception of the coast, maximums will remain below 16-18C, with a cold atmosphere in the northern plateau (maximums of 10 to 12C).”
However, from Wednesday onwards, Spain will see a sharp rise in temperatures.
“In a large part of the Peninsula, temperatures will be between 3 and 6 ºC above normal values,” added Wingen.
“In the Balearic and Canary Islands the anomaly will be +1 to +3C. Temperatures will be spring-like, due to the influence of the anticyclonic ridge and the southerly winds.”
