The Agencia Estatal de Meteorología(Aemet) has issued an orange alert for the Castellón coast due to the heavy rainfall expected. In this area, an accumulation of 40 litres per square metre in one hour is expected and locally this could exceed 70 litres in a period of three or four hours.
On the other hand, a yellow alert has been activated in the interior of Castellón, as well as on the coast of Valencia and Alicante, where rainfall of up to 30 litres per square metre is expected in just one hour. These alerts will come into force from 8pm on Tuesday and will be extended until 12pm tomorrow, Wednesday.
According to information provided by researcher Samuel Benier, of the Laboratorio de Climatología de la Universidad de Alicante"We are on the threshold of a significant climate change that could bring locally intense rain and storms in the coming hours to several Mediterranean regions."
Cold air at altitude is moving from east to west across the Mediterranean. From Tuesday afternoon, it will be especially noticeable in the north of Castellón and in the south of Tarragona. "The situation will become considerably more complicated on the shores of the Mediterranean, compressing the Comunidad Valencianaand Catalonia," adds Benier, who mentions that the arrival of cold air at altitude coincides with a warm and humid easterly flow in the middle layers.
The pre-coastal mountain ranges may contribute to generating or reactivating rainfall in several areas thanks to the leverage effect . From 10 p.m. onwards, convective nuclei are expected to develop in the pre-coastal and coastal regions of Castellón and Tarragona.
"The instability will spread from north to south and these storm cells may regenerate or remain static over the same area. It is likely that very significant rainfall accumulations will be recorded," predicts Benier. He also points out that high-resolution models indicate that, in the next few hours, more than 100-150 l/m² could fall in some areas of the pre-coastline and coast of Castellón and the south of Tarragona.
Given the magnitude of the forecast, people are advised to be alert and take precautions to avoid potential problems resulting from flooding. Local authorities are monitoring the situation and will provide updates as the weather evolves.
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