Can Catalonia finally look forward to the long-awaited rain? The weather services in the autonomous region come with a warning for expected snow and rainfall. It would be very welcome in a period of worrying drought.
The meteorological institute of Catalonia, Meteocat, has issued a warning for expected rainfall. According to the weather service, a widespread rain front is on the way between Wednesday and Thursday.
Finally precipitation
After a prolonged period of drought, Catalonia can count on significant rainfall in the middle of the week, according to Meteocat. Precipitation is expected especially in the east of the autonomous region and the coastal areas. Locally, more than 100 millilitres per square metre could fall.
On Tuesday 9 January, Catalonia can first count on a wintry day with frost in the early morning. Cloud cover will increase during the day, although weather services do not expect any rain for today.
Tonight the clouds will give way to precipitation and there will probably be snow and rain. It is expected that it will rain in large parts of Catalonia during the course of Wednesday.
Snow
A lot of snow is expected from Thursday to Friday in the Catalan Pyrenees and the Cordillera Prelitoral. The snow line is likely to drop to around a thousand metres. Locally, that limit can even be lower.
The tempestuous weather will also be noticeable in the coastal region. The northern coastal area may have to deal with waves of more than four metres due to the increasing easterly winds.
Restrictions
The drought in Catalonia has led to several measures. The region has already declared a pre-emergency that restricts water use in more than 200 municipalities around Barcelona.
The government of Catalonia came up with changes to the Special Drought Plans (PES) in December to combat the severe water shortage. For example, showers in certain sports centres are no longer allowed to be used and water-intensive industry has been restricted. The absorption of water from the Llobregat, Ter and Muga rivers is also limited.
