OFF TO SPAIN? PACK FOR SNOW, WIND AND RAIN
Winter sunseekers given ‘extreme risk’ weather warning as deadly Storm Gloria batters country
SCOTS travelling to Spain for some winter sun have been told by the Foreign Office to pay heed to an “extreme risk” weather warning.
Large parts of the country have been battered by Storm Gloria, which has brought high winds, snowfall, intense rainfall and mountainous seas on the Mediterranean coast.
Spain’s meteorological office, AEMET, issued the “extreme risk” weather warning for Teruel, Albacete, Murcia, Barcelona, Girona, Tarragona, Valencia, Alicante and Castellon provinces. The Balearics, Almeria, Granada and Jaen are also on high alert.
Holidaymakers have been warned the weather could cause severe disruption to transport and even danger to life.
Storm Gloria has killed four people since Sunday and more than 1600 miles of road were covered with snow.
Tourists have been told to check the Spanish Civil Protection Unit’s Twitter page for precautionary advice ahead of their visit.
The Foreign Office added: “If you’re in the area, you should exercise caution and follow the advice of the local authorities.”
AEMET said yesterday: “The combination of Storm Gloria’s position and the powerful European anticyclone, centered on the British Islands, favours the entry of a mass of cold air from the interior of the continent.
“Together with the humid entrance of the Mediterranean, this is causing snowfall at very low levels.
“The situation is accompanied by intense, persistent and locally strong rainfall in the same areas, with accumulations throughout the episode that could promptly reach 150mm (nearly 6in).”