Mudslides flooded a number of slopes in the southern Spanish ski resort of Sierra Nevada on Monday. The mudslides also reached the ski resort of Pradollano, but there were no injuries. Due to the bad weather, the ski resort was closed on Monday.
Sunday afternoon it rained very hard; the temperatures were relatively high. This caused a flood of water, snow and mud. A drain pipe, under El Río couldn’t handle it, which led to the havoc.
Consequences of storm Karlotta
The extreme weather conditions were the tail end of storm Karlotta. It led to strong winds, fog banks – with poor visibility and high humidity.
200 people evacuated after mudslides
These have reached the Maribel and Zaragatillo slopes and the last part of El Río. The rivers of mud also reached the area of El Mirlo Blanco where about 200 people were staying at the time. Among them many children. The Greim, a group of Guardia Civil de Montaña and Cetursa, has taken these visitors from the recreation area to the parking area.
The local police of Monachil were at the scene. Officers provided information and supervised. They also helped visitors affected by the mud floods. The rest of the ski area has been hit by heavy precipitation.
Activities ski resort Sierra Nevada restart on Tuesday
Due to extreme weather conditions, the ski resort was closed on Monday. When the storm subsided on Monday, track staff repaired the devastation caused by the mudslides as best they could. According to the Sierra Nevada ski resort´s website, the slopes will be open on Tuesday morning, depending on the works. Slope El Río is only open up to Ts Stadium, the site indicates. The forecast is that the weather conditions will be better on Tuesday. Specifically, the forecast of the Spanish weather service AEMET indicates that it will stop raining in the Sierra Nevada on Tuesday. No more storms are expected, but light or moderate winds are forecast. It could be windy, but only at high altitudes.
