The Generalitat de Catalunya has activated the alert phase of the VENTCAT Plan due to the forecasts of the Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya (Meteorological Service of Catalonia) starting this Wednesday, with wind gusts of more than 72 kilometers per hour and even 100 km/h affecting the regions of Barcelona and Tarragona in large areas of the central and southern coast and pre-coast.
The phenomenon, which will blow from the west (poniente), will have its greatest impact during the morning and midday. According to forecasts, the areas most affected will be the regions of Veguería del Penedès and Tarragona, Alt Camp, Alt Penedès, Anoia, Baix Camp, and Baix Penedès. The risk situation is expected to continue throughout Thursday.
Map of wind alerts in Catalonia
Given that this storm coincides with various festive activities, the authorities are asking people to exercise extreme caution. On public roads, it is vital to keep an eye on street furniture, lighting, cranes, containers, and trees.
It is recommended to avoid walking through green areas and to pay special attention to parked motorcycles and bicycles, which could be damaged or overturned by the impact of the wind.
At home, it is also advisable to close doors and windows tightly, fold down awnings, and remove any objects from balconies and terraces that could fall into the street, such as flower pots, decorations, or tools.
For those citizens who must use their vehicles, Civil Protection advises checking road conditions before driving.
Classes suspended and all alerts activated in Barcelona
Barcelona is preparing for the worst of Storm Nils with a series of measures that require us to stay at home. The Catalan government has suspended all classes in schools and universities for Thursday, as well as postponing any non-urgent medical appointments and asking people to work from home whenever possible. In fact, the regional government has announced that it will send a mass alert to mobile phones (ES-Alert) to warn of restrictions that will be in place until 8:00 p.m., while wind gusts threaten to exceed 100 km/h in the city.
On the streets of Barcelona, the impact is already visible with the preventive closure of all parks, gardens, the zoo, and municipal cemeteries to prevent accidents caused by falling trees. The situation is just as delicate on the coast, where waves of more than 4 meters have forced the suspension of maritime routes and the shielding of access to the breakwaters. With more than 500 emergency calls and Meteocat on red alert, the advice from the authorities is clear: remove flower pots from balconies, take down awnings, and avoid any travel that is not strictly necessary.