Andalucía's regional government activates pre-emergency phase for risk of flooding triggered by storm Ingrid
State meteorological agency Aemet has issued warnings in five provinces of the region and there have been partial road closures due to accumulations of water and snow
The Andalusian regional government activated the pre-emergency phase of its emergency plan on 23 January, in anticipation of possible floodings caused by the passage of storm Ingrid.
According to state meteorological agency Aemet, storm Ingrid could drop the snow level in the north-west quadrant of Spain to 300-400 metres on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning.
In addition, waves of more than eight metres can be expected along the Galician coastline. According to Aemet, a strong jet stream has facilitated the formation of Ingrid, which is expected to rapidly intensify as it moves towards the British Isles. This will bring cold polar maritime air over Spain, driven by strong north-westerly winds.
Locally heavy showers are initially expected in the area of the Strait of Gibraltar. Snow could be seen above 1000-1200 metres of altitude in the Baetic Mountains.
On Friday morning, the traffic authorities reported that a total of five roads in the provinces of Cadiz, Cordoba and Seville had been partially closed due to accumulations of water, snow and ice. "Use extreme caution and stay informed of the state of traffic," 112 says in a post on X, recommending drivers to check the DGT website for up-to-date information.
At the moment, the state meteorological agency (Aemet) has activated a yellow warning for snowfall for Friday in the provinces of Jaén and Granada, where a wind warning has also been issued. Yellow warnings for waves and wind are also not ruled out on the coasts of Almeria, Granada, Huelva and Cadiz.
For Friday, Aemet has forecast "very cloudy skies accompanied by moderate rainfall during the first half of the day, with the possibility of locally heavy precipitation in the area of the Strait of Gibraltar". Although there might be a respite in the morning, Aemet expects an increase in "clouds and moderate rainfall from west to east during the afternoon".
In addition, the snow level will remain at around 1000 metres and minimum temperatures will fall slightly, with weak frosts in the eastern mountain ranges. Winds will blow moderately from the west, "with strong intervals and very strong gusts on the coasts and at high altitudes on the Mediterranean slope".
