BARCELONA has officially declared a state of emergency as Storm Nils batters the province with hurricane-force winds that have left six people injured and grounded nearly 100 flights.
The City Council upgraded its wind action plan to the maximum emergency level on Thursday morning after gusts at the Port of Barcelona reached 105.1km/h.
In the city centre, the Raval district recorded winds of 87km/h, a figure nearing the all-time record set during the catastrophic Cyclone Klaus in 2009.
A Civil Protection volunteer is in a serious condition in hospital after a tree collapsed onto their vehicle in Sant Boi de Llobregat.
In the same municipality, three workers were injured by falling trees, while other victims were reported in Vilassar de Mar and Sant Pau de Seguries, where a person had to be rescued from under a collapsed wall.
The storm has even impacted the world of sport, with a wall and fence blown down at FC Barcelona’s Joan Gamper training facility in Sant Joan Despi.
Airport operator Aena confirmed that 91 flights have been cancelled at El Prat airport so far today, with a further 10 aircraft diverted to other hubs.
A crisis committee remains active at the airport as ground crews struggle to safely load and unload planes in the extreme conditions.
Rail travel has been plunged into chaos, with the high-speed link between Barcelona and Tarragona suspended after plastic debris became tangled in the overhead catenary lines.
Major industrial players have also been forced to act, with car manufacturers Seat and Ebro taking the rare step of halting production and cancelling shifts to keep staff off the roads.
Emergency services have been overwhelmed, with the 112 hotline receiving 3,163 calls by midday, nearly a third of which originated from the Barcelona region.
Firefighters have attended 1,252 incidents since midnight, primarily dealing with fallen trees and unstable structures in the metropolitan areas.
While the winds are expected to ease slightly this evening, regional forecaster Meteocat has warned that the disruption is far from over.
A new alert for heavy snow has been issued for Friday, with more than 20cm expected to fall at altitudes above 1,100 metres.
Coastal areas remain on alert for Saturday, with sea swells predicted to exceed 2.5 metres.
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