Severe Storms Forecast Across Eastern Spain
Spain’s eastern coastline and the Balearic Islands are on high alert after the state weather agency AEMET activated orange risk warnings for Catalonia and northern Alicante. The alert covers the Barcelona pre-Pyrenees, Girona Pyrenees, and parts of the Costa Blanca, with the highest danger expected between 5am and 11am on Wednesday 09 September. Forecasters warn of torrential downpours exceeding 40mm of rain per hour, with some convective bursts potentially delivering over 50mm in minutes. The primary threats are sudden flash floods in dry riverbeds known as ramblas, destructive large hail, and possible waterspouts over coastal waters.
Record Sea Temperatures Fuel Storm Risk
The extreme weather is driven by a collision between an incoming Atlantic cold front and a super-heated airmass above the Mediterranean. Sea surface temperatures reached a record daily average of 28.54°C on 13 August, the highest since records began in 1940, according to Spain’s State Meteorological Agency. Near Mallorca, temperatures at the Sa Dragonera buoy even exceeded 33°C last month. Scientists from World Weather Attribution confirm the Mediterranean is warming twice as fast as the global ocean average, with western Mediterranean waters now 3.1°C hotter than historical norms.
Widespread Impact and Safety Advice
Storms are expected to sweep inland across Teruel, eastern Castilla-La Mancha, Murcia, and eastern Andalucía before moving south and east toward coastal expat communities and the Balearics. Meteored meteorologist Samuel Biener warned that organised convective systems could form directly over the sea between Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. Residents and visitors are urged to avoid ramblas and low-lying areas, delay non-essential travel during peak storm windows, and monitor official updates via the AEMET website. Local emergency services are on heightened standby for flood response.
The sea has been breaking daily temperature records throughout August, with barely any respite, AEMET reported on social media.
Reported by theolivepress.es, insurancejournal.com, euronews.com, Türkiye Today, japantimes.co.jp, en.ara.cat, Anadolu Ajansı, euroweeklynews.com, C. P. S, The Spanish Eye, russpain.com, Olive Press News Spain.
