Rain and wind complicate traffic in and around Barcelona

All of Renfe's lines are running late; the coast lines are the worst

It's raining cats and dogs in a good part of the country and the wind is blowing hard. That's why the head of Civil Protection, the center for emergencies, and the head of emergencies have sounded the alarm. All the Renfe commuter trains around Barcelona are running late; those that are most affected are those that go on the coast. In addition, the metro [subway] in Barcelona is also having trouble. The trains on Line 1 are not stopping at Rambla Just Oliveras in the Fondo direction, nor at Trinitat Vella in the Hospital de Bellvitge direction; trains on Line 2 are only running between Universitat and Pep Ventura; Line 3 is not stopping at Paral.lel; the interchange between Lines 4 and 5 is closed, so you must transfer via the street.

In the Principat* they are continuing on alert for high winds, with gusts that can reach up to 126km/h (78mi/h), and there is also a weather alert for the rain, that may fall in a downpour and be accompanied by heavy winds.

The Generalitat in Valencia has also decreed a pre-emergency for the strong winds and foresees gusts of wind that may reach 90km/h (56mi/h).

For its part, the government in the Balearics has decreed a IG1 level for wind and rain, which corresponds to orange alert in the meteorological centers. In these situations, the head of the emergency preparedness group recommends securing doors and window, disconnecting electric appliances, avoiding places where things might fall and above all else, to avoid going out unless necessary.

In Blanes (Selva), the storm has taken away another chunk of the boardwalk and made a hole 15 square meters in size.

Originally published in VilaWeb on 22 Oct 2009 at 15:46h