Holy Week, Easter week, has entered its final phase in Spain with rain, wind and snow. Due to the bad weather, Easter processions were suspended in several parts of Spain. In addition, the weather conditions and the return after the Easter holidays lead to traffic jams on Spanish roads. Floods occurred in Andalucia.
Earlier this week, Spanish television showed how people fell into each other’s arms crying when it was announced that the processions in Seville were cancelled at the last minute. Parades in cities such as Cádiz and Zaragoza had also been cancelled. In 2020 and 2021, the processions were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In Valencia, the Resurrection Procession had to be cancelled on Sunday due to the rain. The meeting between the statues of the Resurrected Jesus and the Virgin of Glory in the town of Villajoyosa in Alicante did not take place outside, but was held in a church. Also because of the bad weather.
In the Navarre city of Tudela, however, the traditional descent of the angel took place, announcing to the Virgin Mary the resurrection of her son. This happened in a scene that has been declared a Feast of National Tourist Interest. The event was attended by thousands of people. In Aranda, in Burgos, the same tradition was celebrated, albeit with a delay of almost an hour and in a short version in the rain.
The procession of the Holy Resurrected Christ in Logroño was cancelled. This procession, the only one in Spain to depart from a cemetery, was supposed to leave on Sunday afternoon.
Traffic jams and crowds on the road on Easter Sunday
The bad weather will also persist in the final phase of Easter week 2024, the Spanish weather service Aemet reported. Storm Nelson will hold much of the country in its grip this weekend. Rain, storms, wind, waves and snowfall are causing nuisance and chaos, in the middle of the return of the holidays. There had been traffic jams on the main highways to Madrid since Sunday afternoon, following Saturday’s traffic jams. At that time, many motorists already decided to bring forward their return home.
Warnings have been activated for rain, gale, wind, waves and snow in Andalucia, Murcia, Valencia, Balearic Islands, Catalonia, Aragon, Madrid, Castilla y León, Castilla La Mancha and Galicia.
Floods and nuisances in Andalucia
Easter week 2024 ended wet in Andalucia. For the brotherhoods, it was one of the worst Easter weeks in living memory. In contrast, it was one of the most beneficial for the country, as it helped alleviate the worrisome drought.
Emergency 112 Andaluica has dealt with more than 120 incidents due to rain and wind during this Easter Sunday. The incidents were mainly due to the effects of rainfall in the provinces of Cádiz, Granada and Málaga. Emergency services were called for partial flooding of houses, buildings and garages and accumulations of puddles on roads. There were incidents at Tarifa, Algeciras, La Linea de la Concepción and Arcos de la Frontera, among others. In Granada, the A-415 road in the municipality of Alhama de Granada is closed due to the fall of a tree. In addition, accumulations of pools of water, overflowing streams and riverbeds, stones and falling branches. Also, in Córdoba, firefighters rescued a driver who was trapped in a pool of water. In addition, they have intervened in the falling of trees and flooding in some houses in the city of Córdoba.
