Las fuertes lluvias inundan el centro de Bilbao y causan numerosas incidencias en Bizkaia

Intenses rainfalls have flooded the central area of Bilbao, causing numerous incidents across Bizkaia. By 8:30 PM on Saturday, the Emergencies Center of Euskadi had recorded a total of 150 incidents related to the heavy precipitation, with 137 of them occurring in Bilbao, according to SOS Deiak, the coordination center for emergencies of the Basque government.

The storm dumped particularly intense rainfall in the afternoon in the capital of Vizcaya, catching many residents and visitors off guard who were enjoying a drink on the terraces of the Old Town. Within an hour, several streets in the city center were submerged. In some spots, water levels reached up to the knees, while in roads with a steeper gradient, the current flowed forcefully, making it difficult for some residents to reach their homes.

Faced with the accumulation of water, some opted to stay on the terraces waiting for the rain to subside, while others tried to leave the narrowest streets. The rain also entered bars and garages located on the sidewalk. Some businesses placed wooden boards at their entrances to prevent water from entering, while firefighters worked at several locations to drain the water.

The heavy precipitation caused disruptions also in other parts of Bizkaia. Traffic through the tunnels of La Avanzada in Leioa was cut off due to the accumulated water, and similar incidents were reported in Getxo, Basauri, Laudio, Galdakao, Sestao, and Erandio. The official meteorological service of the Basque Country, Euskalmet, has maintained the orange alert until midnight.

After that, it is expected that the precipitation will decrease in Bizkaia and the storm will move south, so the alert will be replaced by a yellow warning that will remain active until 6:00 AM on Sunday. Across Spain, 11 autonomous communities remain under some type of meteorological warning. Catalonia has red alerts, the maximum level of a three-level scale, in Barcelona and Girona due to torrential rains, in addition to orange warnings for storms due to the risk of accumulations over 90 liters per square meter in one hour and 200 in six hours.

Asturias, Cantabria, and Madrid have orange alerts for rains and yellow alerts for storms, while Andalucía, the Balearic Islands, Castilla y León, Castilla-La Mancha, Extremadura, Galicia, and the Basque Country remain at the yellow level for both phenomena. The intense storm, which began on Thursday, is expected to continue until Wednesday.

On Friday night, the situation was especially complicated in Murcia and several locations in Castilla-La Mancha, where water torrents caused floods, overflows, and inundations. On Saturday, residents of the most affected areas found their homes and businesses submerged, roads cut off, and streets covered in mud. This was the case in Madrigueras, a municipality in Albacete, one of the hardest hit by the torrential rains, where a 102-year-old woman died from drowning in her home.

Another 90 people had to be rescued in the municipality after 142 liters per square meter were registered in just two and a half hours. Strong brown currents flowed through the streets and numerous vehicles were dragged and piled up on top of each other. According to Beatriz Olaizola, the strong weather, which began on Thursday, is expected to continue until Wednesday.

On Friday night, the situation was especially complicated in Murcia and various locations in Castilla-La Mancha, where water torrents caused flooding, overflows, and inundations. On Saturday, residents of the most affected areas found their homes and businesses submerged, roads cut off, and streets covered in mud. In Albacete, Madrigueras, one of the most severely impacted municipalities, a 102-year-old woman died from drowning in her home.

Another 90 individuals were rescued in the municipality after 142 liters per square meter were registered in just two and a half hours. Strong brown currents of water covered the streets and numerous vehicles were dragged and piled up on top of each other.