If your pocket vibrated this morning with that shrill beep that sounds like the beginning of a disaster movie, you’ve already seen it: it’s the Generalitat reminding you that the Mediterranean is in a very bad mood today. The storm sweeping Catalonia has forced Civil Protection to send mass alerts to cell phones in the metropolitan area and southern Tarragona, asking for something that sounds like common sense but is always worth remembering: today is not the day to go to the breakwater to make the latest viral video.
We are on orange alert and the Meteocat maps have been colored in a shade that tells us that the “April showers” have come early and brought their cousins, the wind and the waves, with them. Waves are expected to reach 10 meters in height in some parts of the Catalan coast, a veritable wall of water that turns any promenade into a danger zone.
In Barcelona, the City Council has already activated the Municipal Action Plan for rough seas, and it is not unusual to see barriers at the entrances to the Barceloneta and Bogatell beaches.
A warning that goes from the sea to the mountains
The Empordà and the southern coast of Girona will bear the brunt of the storm, with rainfall reaching up to 100 liters per square meter in just twelve hours. Here in Barcelona, although umbrellas will suffer due to wind gusts of up to 70 kilometers per hour, the concern also extends to riverbeds and low-lying areas. The official recommendation is clear: avoid flood-prone areas and, above all, exercise extreme caution if you have to take the car to leave the city.
But if the situation on the coast is turbulent, in the Pyrenees it is turning white and dangerous. The snow shows no sign of letting up and yellow warnings have already been issued in the Aran Valley and the Lleida Pyrenees, where considerable snowfall is expected above 1,400 meters. In fact, the mountains have already given us the first tragic scare of the week: a skier has lost his life in Baqueira Beret after being caught in an off-piste avalanche. Rescue teams from the Mossos d’Esquadra and the Pompièrs d’Aran are continuing their search for a possible second missing person, a reminder that when nature gets this fierce, it is best to watch the spectacle from the sidelines.
How long will the storm last?
If you’re one of those people looking up at the sky, waiting for the rain to stop so you can go for a run or walk the dog without ending up like a castaway, you’ll have to be patient. The forecast indicates that this scenario of “significant waves” and heavy rainfall will continue until at least Wednesday. Until then, the city will remain in maritime pause mode.
Remember that it’s not just a matter of staying away from the water, but also of keeping an eye on the objects we have on balconies and terraces. With this wind, a poorly placed flowerpot can become a projectile. For now, listen to your phone and stay away from the seafront, as photos with giant waves are not worth an unnecessary scare.