Snow forces school closures as Valencia’s Castellon Province is put on orange alert

THE storm known as Filomena that is currently sweeping Spain landed in Castellon Province today (Thursday January 7), forcing several schools to close their doors until Monday due to heavy snow.

State Weather Agency Aemet activated the orange alert in the province as up to 30 centimetres of the white stuff were expected to fall in some inland areas.

Snow levels were predicted to drop to 200 metres in the Ports and Baix Maestrat districts – by far the lowest in the Valencian Community.

Maximum and minimum temperatures were expected to fall throughout the day, with Vilafranca hitting -3.4°C and Castellfort -3.0°C.

Seven units with snow machines were mobilised by the provincial fire department to clear roads and prevent outlying areas from being blocked off.

Meanwhile, more than 10 towns and cities in Valencia Province also announced school closures – mainly in La Costera and neighbouring districts – with more expected to follow as they day wore on.

Kids in Sollana, Navarrés, la Font de la Figuera, Canals, Llosa de Ranes, Utiel, Requena, Moixent, Bocairent, Ayora and Fontanars dels Alforins will be able to keep their pyjamas on until next week.

See Alex Trelinski’s article for more snow news in the Valencia region.