Aemet warns of 300 l/m² from Storm Adam

Spain’s Aemet named Storm Adam, the season’s first DANA, a high-level cold-air depression, on Friday, October 16, warning in a The Olive Press trade-press report of more than 300 l/m² in some areas.

In rainfall measurement, 1 l/m² equals 1mm, so Aemet’s figure would be 10 times the 30mm in one hour cited in the report for orange warnings in Almeria and Barcelona.

Aemet said in its special notice: “Chubascos y tormentas muy fuertes y persistentes en litoral mediterráneo peninsular y en Baleares.” The agency also warned of probable flooding and rising water levels in channels during the episode.

Aemet issued yellow alerts across regions including Andalucia, Extremadura, Murcia, Valencia, Madrid, Catalunya and the Basque Country, according to the trade-press report. Orange warnings were active in Almeria and Barcelona, where as much as 30mm of rain was forecast in one hour.

Meteocat, Catalunya’s weather agency, placed parts of Maresme, Valles Oriental and La Selva under a 5-of-6 danger warning from 2pm to 8pm on Saturday, October 17.

Its alert said: “Possibilitat de precipitació > 40 mm / 30 minuts.”

Civil Protection activated a flood emergency plan and was due to send a mobile-phone alert to affected residents on Saturday morning, the report said. Authorities cited in the report urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel during heavy rain and stay away from rivers, streams and other flood-prone areas.

The heaviest downpours were expected on Sunday and Monday. The report said the latest weather models pointed to more than 200mm of rain around Valencia, with some scenarios showing totals of as much as 350mm.

Northern Alicante province and parts of Valencia were expected to face the most severe conditions. Aemet issued a red alert described in the report as a “danger to life” warning because of flood risk in ravines, river channels and urban areas.

The Balearic Islands could also see intense rainfall, with more than 50mm possible in one hour in some areas, according to the report. Parts of eastern Spain could see temperatures fall by as much as 12C compared with recent days.

The report said the system was being driven by two pockets of cold air around the Iberian Peninsula, one near the Bay of Biscay and another near the Gulf of Cadiz. Their interaction was expected to direct humid winds toward the Mediterranean, supporting persistent rainfall along exposed coastal areas.

The rainfall totals remain forecasts, and the report did not give observed accumulations, damage estimates or confirmed casualties at publication. The red and orange warnings indicate the areas where authorities expected the most acute risk, not where flooding had already occurred.

Storm peaks ahead

On Saturday, October 17, Meteocat’s 5-of-6 warning for parts of Catalunya was in force from 2pm to 8pm, with the checkable threshold set at more than 40mm of rain in 30 minutes.

On Sunday, October 18, the report said the worst of the downpours was expected to affect Valencia and nearby areas, where models cited by the report pointed to more than 200mm of rain.

On Monday, October 19, the storm peak was still expected to be under way, with the next measurable test being whether observed totals around Valencia approach the more than 200mm indicated by the models cited in the report.

Source: trade-press report, The Olive Press, October 17