A RED “danger to life” warning has hit a Spanish holiday hotspot as a “mini-hurricane” threatens the region with torrential downpours and gale force winds.
Catalonia‘s president warned – “this is not a joke” – as the dire alert was issued for Barcelona and Girona, pleading with residents to respect the strict restrictions.
The state meteorological agency Aemet have issued a rare red weather which will strictly be in place from 9pm on Saturday evening until midday on Sunday.
Forecasters are expecting up to 90mm of rain to fall in just an hour, with total rainfall potentially exceeding 200mm in just six hours.
Officials say there is a real risk of flash flooding as the already saturated rivers may not be able to handle the impending barrage.
Severe overnight storms could bring intense lightning, tornadoes, waterspouts, and gale-force winds exceeding 120 km/h, with conditions expected to peak around midnight.
After midnight, the red alert will extend to cover large parts of northern Catalunya, including Girona, Mataro, Figueres and the Costa Brava towards the French border.
Movement across 20 regions covering coastal and hinterland areas of Tarragona, Barcelona and Girona will be restricted as long as the warning is in place.
President Salvador Illa said the situation is “very complex”.
Local authorities are preparing to send an emergency alert message directly to mobile phones in the highest-risk areas this afternoon.
Heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected across the Balearics overnight with an orange weather warning put in place.
Today’s warning comes just days after torrential rains and flash floods battered Barcelona, sparking flight chaos and leaving holidaymakers stranded.
The thunderstorms raged mostly in the northeast and northwest.
Overnight, surprise flash flooding in Madrigueras left one elderly woman dead and forced the rescue of 90 people – many of who were trapped in their homes.
Severe thunderstorms and torrential rains lashed south-central and eastern regions of Spain on Friday, unleashing powerful torrents that swept away cars and swamped homes.
Madrigueras, located 120 miles northwest of Alicante, was the worst affected and was battered by a deluge that dumped 140 litres of rain in just three hours.