Latest news with #UME
DW
3 days ago
- Climate
- DW
Spain: Two missing as heavy rains hit Catalonia – DW – 07/13/2025
Firefighters in the northeastern region were searching for two people who were reportedly swept away by floodwaters. The torrential rainfall has also disrupted transport services in and around Barcelona. Two people were missing after torrential rains and floods in Catalonia in northeastern Spain. Firefighters said they were searching along the banks and mouth of the Foix river for two people who went missing near the town of Cubelles, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Barcelona. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called for "great caution" and urged people to avoid unnecessary travel in 10 northern and eastern regions that were on high alert on Saturday. "We are closely monitoring the situation in several communities with warnings for heavy rains and storms," Sanchez wrote on X. The prime minister said troops from the Military Emergency Unit (UME) had already been deployed to municipalities in Aragon. The national weather service, Aemet, said 10 centimeters (four inches) had fallen near Barcelona in a matter of hours. Catalonia and the neighboring region of Aragon were under a red "extreme risk" alert due to rains that could see up to 60 liters per square meter fall in one hour, according to Aemet. As a precautionary measure, Renfe, Spain's rail company, briefly suspended services throughout Catalonia on Saturday. In Barcelona, roads were blocked, while a hospital had to refuse patients after it flooded. A plane that took off from the city for the United States was forced to turn back after sustaining damage to its nose in a hail storm. In October 2024, heavy rains and devastating floods in the eastern region of Valencia killed 225 people in the worst meteorological disaster in Spain in decades. That rain storm, like the one currently affecting the country, was caused by a weather phenomenon known in Spain as a "cold drop" or DANA (Isolated Depression at High Levels), in which a mass of cold air drops over the warmer waters of the Mediterranean Sea. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Rain in Spain! Flood and hail warning as holiday hotspot is deluged - while Britain basks in the sun
Flood and hail warnings have been issued in Spain as a popular holiday hotspot is deluged - while Britain basks in the sun. A whopping half of the country's 50 provinces have received weather warnings from the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET). Eight of those face a higher orange alert, the second highest, as of today - so locals and tourists there should prepare for severe storms, extreme rain and flash floods. These regions set to face a heavy battering are Huesca, Teruel, Zaragoza, Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, Tarragona and Castellon, The Sun reports. The effects are already being felt across the country, with shocking pictures showing cars submerged and swept away, with streets totally flooded by strong currents. One popular tourist destination, the town of Tarazona in Zaragoza, has already seen 100mm of rainfall in just one hour, on Friday - and remains on red alert today. Meanwhile, Britain's heatwave was expected to peak today, with sizzling highs of 35C possible in parts of the UK. The extreme weather in Spain threatens huge damage to neighbourhoods, as well as disruption to Brits holidaying all over the country in hope of some Spanish sun. The downpour in Tarazona caused street flooding, heavy disruption to public transport and brutal damage to property in the getaway hotspot. The Military Emergency Unit (UME) - the branch of the army responsible for national disaster or emergency relief - has been deployed across the province to help. Rescue teams in Zaragoza have reported more than 30 flood-related incident, including blocked roads and fallen trees - but luckily, no casualties. Rainfall of up to 50 litres per square metre has been predicted in most parts of Aragon and Catalonia - which could cause flooding and even overflowing ravines. The worst affected areas will be Catalonia, Aragon and the Valencian Community, where intense rain had been predicted to begin early today. In fact, the Catalan weather service Meteocat has issued its own highest possible weather warning, at levels five and six, according to Catalan News. It marks a serious deterioration in weather conditions in the province, replacing previous orange and yellow warnings. All residents in the area will receive a mobile phone notification to alert them to the heavy storms coming their way, which are expected to last until at least 9pm today. After rain began last night, authorities received a huge 70 reports of minor weather-related incidents. And they have advised the public to avoid travel and stay indoors and away from rivers and flood-risk areas. Some areas in Catalonia could see up to 40 litres of rain per square metre, which could cause flooding. Later today, storms were expected to hit the Cantabrian coast, the Balearic Islands and areas of central and eastern Spain. Storm warnings are set to hit other regions too, including Alicante, Valencia, Alava and the Ribera del Ebro area of La Rioja, among others. Meanwhile, the mercury has hit record-breaking highs back in Blighty. Temperatures reached 34.7C at Astwood Bank, near Worcester, on Friday, the Met Office said, with similar or even higher temperatures having been expected today. 'It might be plus or minus half a degree higher or lower (on Saturday), probably maybe a little bit higher, but that's going to be the peak as then temperatures start coming down a little bit through the second half of the weekend as low pressure slowly starts to edge in,' meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said. Six million homes have been hit with a hosepipe ban, while fire chiefs warn of the risk of wildfires and drowning as people try to escape the heat in pools and ponds. Amber heat health alerts are in place for the Midlands and the south and east of England until 9am on Monday. They warn of the potential for a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions. The risk of wildfires in London is currently rated at 'severe' by the Natural Hazards Partnership. And National Rail has also warned train passengers that the hot weather may cause disruption this weekend. The Met Office said though temperatures may peak on Saturday, it will remain 'very warm' across the country on Sunday. 'We're probably looking at maximum temperatures around 30C, 31C degrees across central and southern England, but still widely across the whole UK, mid to high 20s,' Mr Dewhurst said. 'It could still get to around 29 or 30C across southeast England on Monday, and then everyone into the fresher air by Tuesday, temperatures more like 23C, 24C as the maximum temperature.' As well as the amber alerts, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has yellow alerts in place until Monday for the North East, North West and Yorkshire and Humber. Pictured: A sunbather in London's Vauxhall Park on Saturday As well as the amber alerts, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has yellow alerts in place until Monday for the North East, North West and Yorkshire and Humber. Fortunately, in Spain, the rainy, stormy conditions are expected to clear overnight. And while parts of the country are pummelled by rain, southeastern Spain will remain sizzling hot, perhaps even hitting record highs. The mercury could approach or even increase beyond a tropical 40C in Murcia, Alicante, inland Andalusia and parts of Extremadura. Temperatures will soon then drop across vast swathes of the mainland and Canary Islands. The islands, along with the Alboran coast, will then be hit by high, potentially very strong winds. The storms come as part of a so-called DANA storm, a Spanish acronym standing for 'depresion aislada en niveles altos', meaning 'isolated depression at high altitudes'. These conditions are brought about when more warm, moist Mediterranean air is sucked into high levels of the atmosphere than normal. The floods turned streets in the Spanish city into rivers (pictured) and left hundreds trapped in their homes It can cause severe weather like lightning, hail or even tornadoes - and sudden shifts in conditions, bringing often highly concentrated bursts of rain or storms in minutes. Unstable air is moving across the Iberian Peninsula to the north and east, bringing on the thunder and heavy rainfall. A DANA was behind the flooding in Valencia in October last year, in which nearly 230 people tragically died, in one of Spain's worst weather disasters in recent years. The floods turned streets in the Spanish city into rivers and left hundreds trapped in their homes. Many were forced to climb trees, scale lampposts and sprint desperately to the upper floors of buildings to escape. Shocking footage emerged showing how parts of Valencia became completely engulfed by deadly flash floods that appeared from nowhere. Torrents of water were seen tearing through towns and infrastructure, sweeping cars down roads, submerging fields in mud and trapping people in basements and cars. It made the disaster the worst floods to hit a single European country this century.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Climate
- The Sun
Spain storm and HAIL warning as 100mm of rain falls in an HOUR at popular tourist hotspot leaving cars underwater
SEVERE storm and hail warnings have been issued in Spain - as 100mm of rain fell in just one hour at a holiday hotspot leaving cars submerged under water. Locals and tourists are bracing for chaos after the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) activated weather warnings for 25 provinces, eight of which are orange. 5 5 AEMET forecasted orange-level warnings on Saturday for severe storms in Huesca, Teruel and Zaragoza, Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona, and Castellón. These regions are set to be battered by extreme rainfall and potential flash floods which could disrupt holidays and cause huge damages to neighbourhoods. The DANA storm has caused the weather agency to activate red, orange and yellow warnings across dozens of Spanish regions. The agency predicted rainfall of up to 50 litres per square metre in most of the regions in Aragon and Catalonia, which could spark local flooding and overflowing ravines. The Ebro Riverbank in Tarazona, Zaragoza province, was under red alert on Friday after it was hit with severe flooding - with nearly 100mm of rain falling in just one hour. It will remain under red alert until late on Saturday, following the extreme weather which caused urban flooding and transport disruption at the holiday hotspot. The Military Emergency Unit (UME) was deployed to several towns in Zaragoza to help relieve the damage caused by the brutal rainfall. Local rescue teams reported over 30 flood-related incidents, including fallen trees and blocked roads, but no casualties. Shocking footage showed cars being swept away under the waves as intense rainfall pummelled Spanish streets. Hailstorm was seen pelting the pavements as locals took shelter from the dangerous weather. European giants see stadium wrecked by hurricanes with roof battered and pitch flooded And streams of muddy water were seen flowing down streets while taking chairs and fences in their destructive paths. There will also be storm warnings in several other regions, including Alicante and Valencia, Ribera del Ebro in La Rioja and Iberian Rioja, and Álava, among others. Spain's national forecaster said that unstable air was moving across the north and east of the Iberian Peninsula - bringing heavy showers, thunderstorms, and in some places, torrential downpours. The worst parts of the storm will hit Catalonia, Aragon and the Valencian Community, where intense rain is likely from early Saturday. Later in the day, the storms are expected to spread to the Cantabrian coast, the Balearic Islands, and parts of central and eastern Spain, before conditions begin to clear overnight. While the rain lashes parts of the country, it will still be boiling hot in southeastern Spain, where temperatures could hit sweltering highs. Reports say Murcia, Alicante, inland Andalusia, and parts of Extremadura will see temperatures approaching or exceeding 40 degrees. The extreme heat will mark a sharp contrast to the torrential rainfall about to be seen in other parts of the country. Temperatures will then drop in much of the mainland and the Canary Islands. But winds will also pick up - especially in the Canary Islands and along the Alboran coast - potentially reaching strong to very strong levels. The storm is reportedly a DANA phenomenon, or a "cold drop". The acronym stands for "Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos," which translates to "isolated depression at high altitudes". The phenomenon occurs when more warm and moist Mediterranean air than usual is sucked high into the atmosphere after a cold system hits the country. The temperature difference between the cold air aloft and the warm surface air creates instability, leading to rapid uplift of warm, moist air and the formation of intense thunderstorms.
The Guardian
08-07-2025
- Climate
- The Guardian
‘This has never been seen before': residents in Catalonia assess wildfire damage
More than 18,000 residents were ordered to remain indoors with about 50 evacuated, as a wildfire continued to rage in Spain's eastern Catalonia region. The fire ignited in a remote area near Paüls in Tarragona province, where strong winds and rugged terrain have hampered firefighting efforts. Spain's military emergency unit (UME) deployed more than 300 firefighters. Authorities said they had successfully prevented the fire from spreading across the Ebro River
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Firefighters struggle to contain spreading Spanish wildfire
STORY: :: Spanish firefighters struggle to contain a spreading wildfire in Catalonia :: July 7 to July 8, 2025 :: Pauls, Spain The confinement alert was lifted in Tortosa, but at least 2,000 people in other towns were advised to remain at home. Early on Wednesday morning (July 8), members of Spain's military emergency unit (UME) joined the more than 300 firefighters already deployed in the area
