May rain causes mayhem
Homeless man ‘grabbed’ as the torrent was taking him away
RECORD rainfall for a month of May caused flooding in some areas of the south-east of Spain this week.
A cut-off low pressure (DANA or ‘gota fría’) arrived on Monday evening bringing torrential rain.
And, as fast as that weather system moved away, another DANA moved in yesterday (Thursday) afternoon bringing storms to the north of Alicante province.
The unsettled weather is being caused by a high pressure over the British Isles, which is forming a shield over the north of the continent and forcing Atlantic fronts that normally head into those latitudes to pass to the south.
The first ‘gota fría’ of the week brought two distinct periods of heavy rain, with the first of those in the early hours of Tuesday morning being the most destructive.
By 13.00 on Tuesday, parts of Ontinyent had registered 220 litres per square metre (l/m2) of rainfall since the previous evening – a huge quantity of precipitation, which was a record for the municipality in May.
The torrential rain lead to very poor driving conditions in many areas of Alicante province and Murcia region.
The provincial fire service reported that they were called out to 21 incidents on Tuesday, which included pumping away water from flooded areas and buildings.
They also had to tow vehicles that were blocking roads, three of which were stuck in water under a bridge in San Vicente del Raspeig.
Roads were closed on seafronts due to the flooding, with the local police in Villajoyosa reporting on the actions they had taken on the coast – and minor roads were also closed in Torrevieja.
The N-340 at Elche business park was also closed early on Tuesday morning while water was drained away.
Rescues in Cartagena
One of the worst affected areas by the rain during the early hours of Tuesday was Cartagena, where the city was on red alert from 04.00 to 06.00.
A city hall spokesman said that around 100 litres per square metre of rain fell in four hours. Emergency services carried out ‘around a
dozen rescues of drivers who were trapped in their vehicles in the urban area’.
The ‘most complicated rescue’ was of a homeless person who ‘often sleeps under a bridge’ by a flood ravine.
Water levels had risen quickly and local police officers managed to grab the man ‘as the torrent was taking him away’ and firefighters helped them all to safety, explained the spokesman.
City hall recommended that people should not make journeys unless it is absolutely necessary during episodes of very heavy rain – and avoid flood-risk areas, dry riverbeds and ravines.
AEMET alert
The orange alert for storms and torrential rain from state weather agency AEMET for Tuesday afternoon and early Wednesday morning for the whole of Alicante province proved to be misguided.
However, almost as soon as they lifted their alert at 09.00, the heavy rain arrived from the sea, proving how difficult it is to predict the movements of a ‘gota fría’ storm.
Wednesday’s rain led to localised flooding in some parts of Alicante province but was not as heavy as the episode at the start of the week.
Relief for farmers
Alicante farmers’ union ASAJA said that the rains were very positive for agriculture but lamented that the precipitation had come too late for this year’s cereal crops, with 90% of them already lost.
The precipitation ‘brought relief for most of the crops in Alicante province after a winter and spring that were dry in the extreme’ – especially vegetables, citrus fruits and almonds.
However, heavy rain and hail has damaged olive and pomegranate trees which are in flower and this could affect the harvest later in the year.
A spokesman for Alicante university climatology lab said the rain has been ‘very positive’ for the province with summer just around the corner despite the damage sustained to some crops.
The forecast
AEMET’s forecast yesterday (Thursday) for the week ahead showed a high probability of rain every day up to and including Wednesday (which is as far as it goes) for all areas of Alicante province.
The most complicated day highlighted on their weather chart is Sunday – the day of the local elections.
It shows that storms and heavy rain could occur in all parts of the province that day.
Temperatures remain in the low 20s on the coast, so the rain will not be accompanied by cold weather.