Cristina Hodgson
MALAGA has been placed on red alert for heavy rain as hazardous Storm Celia sweeps through Spain.
Following a new forecast from Spain’s Met Office AEMET, the orange warning, activated for rain, in much of the province of Malaga has been moved to red in the regions of the Costa del Sol, the Guadalhorce Valley and the district of Malaga capital for heavy rain.
According to AEMET Storm Celia will leave up to 120 litres per square meter in 12 hours and 30 litres per square meter in a hour.
The red alert has been activated since midnight this Sunday and will remain active until noon today, Monday March 14.
It is expected that Storm Celia will leave more water in the western third of the regions of the Costa del Sol and the Guadalhorce Valley with the rest of the regions to remain under yellow warning (Antequera and Nororma) or orange (Axarquia and the Serrania de Ronda).
The weather front is expected to remain stationary in the southern part of Spain during the first few days of this week, leaving significant rainfall in Andalucia.
After the red alert was raised, the delegate of the Junta in Malaga, Patricia Navarro, activated the pre-emergency phase within the Emergency Plan due to the risk of flooding in Malaga.
Meanwhile, the 112 Andalucia emergency system has warned the general population to avoid travelling by road whilst the alert remains active. In the event that it is essential to travel, it is imperative to check the state of the roads before setting out and, once on the road, to follow the indications on information panels and those of the authorities.
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