Laurence Dollimore
STORM Caetano landed in Spain on Wednesday and has already put multiple areas on alert for strong winds and rough seas.
According to state weather agency Aemet, the worst of the rain will begin in Galicia today, as well as Cantabria, the upper Ebro Valley and northeast of Cataluña.
There will also be snow in areas that are 1,500m above sea level, particularly in the Pyrenees. More than five centimeters of snow is expected to accumulate in the Aran Valley.
Meanwhille, strong gusts of wind exceeding 80km/hr will affect the Cantabrian coast, Aragon, Cataluña, Castellon and the Balearic Islands.
The strongest winds will be seen in Tarragona, near Barcelona, where gusts could reach 90km/hr.
There will be waves of up to five metres in the Cantabrian sea, and up to three metres on the coasts of Almeria, Granada, Barcelona and Girona – all of which are on a yellow alert until at least Friday.
The storm is expected to intensify on Thursday, with strong rainfall expected in the north of the country, especially in Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque region.
Tomorrow, both snow and wind will continue to be significant. The altitude for snow in the Pyrenees will be at 1,600m and in the mountainous areas of the Cantabrian Sea they could drop to 1,200m.
Warnings for strong gusts of wind will continue to be active on Thursday in Galicia, in the north and east of Castile y Leon, in La Rioja, Aragon, Cataluña, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands and in Albacete. Likewise, strong winds will continue to cause large waves.
On Friday, the situation will begin to change, with Caetano moving away towards the east of Europe, so the wind and waves will begin to decrease.
The rain will, however, spread in the morning towards the interior of the peninsula, although it will quickly dissipate.
