VALENCIA – Saturday, September 2 promises to be a tough day for the Valencian Community with severe weather due to the consequences of a DANA (Isolated Depression at High Levels).
The weather service Aemet has issued four different warnings for the provinces of Valencia and Castellón: heavy rainfall, storms, strong winds and coastal phenomena. The storm will start with rainfall overnight from Friday to Saturday, but the heaviest showers are expected from 10.00 am today.
Orange warning
Aemet has issued an orange warning for heavy precipitation that could reach up to 40 litres per hour or even between 60 and 70 litres in a span of 3 to 4 hours. In addition to the heavy rainfall, severe weather with hailstorms and very strong gusts of wind could also occur.
“Saturday we expect cloudy or overcast skies throughout the day with showers and storms that can be locally strong to very strong,” Aemet said. All of Valencia and Castellón will be under a double yellow warning due to precipitation of 30 litres in one hour and storms with hail and very strong gusts of wind. However, from 10 am, this will be scaled up to an orange alert.
Furthermore, a striking drop in maximum temperatures is also expected: up to 6 degrees less in 24 hours.
Continued bad weather also on Sunday
There are no definitive warnings yet for Sunday, but the forecast points to continued bad weather with new peaks in rainfall around 10.00 am. The wind could reach speeds between 70 and 80 km/h and coastal phenomena are predicted for the afternoon.
Also read: Costa del Sol expects intense storm on Sunday
The situation on Monday is still unclear
The situation is still unclear for Monday. Although the worst of the DANA will probably be over by then, there is still a chance of showers, especially in Valencia. Cloudy periods are expected in the rest of the Valencian Community, with a low chance of isolated showers.
Therefore, with these expectations, it is advised to closely monitor all local warnings and weather forecasts and take necessary precautions.
Valencia closes parks and gardens due to approaching storm
The city of Valencia has announced that it will close all fenced parks and gardens in response to the orange warning of an approaching DANA. This measure will take effect if the orange warning is maintained. As a result, the closure measure is expected to come into effect on Saturday morning.
The reopening of the parks and gardens will take place as soon as the orange warning is lifted, according to the city council of Valencia. However, this may change depending on Aemet’s updates and developments surrounding the storm.
It is customary for the city to close fenced parks and gardens when Aemet activates an orange or red alert for the area. With this measure, the city hopes to minimise any risks for citizens.
112 sends messages to mobile phones in case of danger
The emergency number 112 will send a message to mobile phones in the Valencia region during the DANA in case of ‘imminent danger’.
Elisa Núñez, the Minister of Justice and the Interior of the Generalitat Valenciana, has emphasised that the general ES Alert system will be activated, which will allow alerts to be sent to the population located in an area affected by an emergency or disaster.
“Thanks to the ES Alert, citizens do not have to call the emergency number 112 themselves to find out if there is an active emergency in their area; it will be 112 itself that warns citizens of the immediate danger in their municipality so that they can protect themselves or take action,” she said.
Similarly, the emergency department advises to download the app ‘GVA 112 Avisos’ so that everyone can be aware of the real risk situation in real-time. It is advisable to follow Aemet’s X / Twitter-account for weather updates.
