The severe storm that hit Tarragona on Monday has resulted in 77 liters per square meter over three hours, with peaks of 34 liters in just half an hour. Mayor Rubén Viñuales described the situation as fortunate despite the heavy rainfall, noting that such intense impact was not forecast.
According to Viñuales, the Operational Coordination Center of Catalonia (CECAT) issued an alert about the rain's intensity once the storm had already begun. Emergency services were quickly activated to minimize material and personal damage. The storm started at 5:45 PM, the CECAT alert was received at 5:50 PM, and emergency services were deployed at 5:52 PM.
Fortunately, no fatalities have been reported. The only personal injury recorded was minor injuries resulting from a collision between two buses, which caused broken glass. The City Council is not aware of any other personal harm.
All areas of Tarragona were affected. On Tuesday morning, municipal services continue to work on restoring normality. A fallen tree impacted the electrical system in the Solimars de Monnars urbanization, and some areas are still without power. Additionally, on Monday, campers had to be relocated due to falling trees. In the city of Tarragona alone, the emergency phone line received 400 calls.
Viñuales linked these events to climate change, regretting that some people do not accept this reality and calling for measures that might affect the "way of life," particularly regarding mobility, such as Low Emission Zones and improvements in public transport.
The Deputy Director of Civil Protection, Imma Solé, explained that the meteorological forecast did not justify sending an ES-Alert, as these phenomena are sudden and have low predictability. The head of Civil Protection on duty, Xavier Masramon, added that initial forecasts indicated impacts in Central Catalonia and the Pyrenees, not the Camp de Tarragona, and that the very warm Mediterranean Sea makes accurate forecasting difficult.
In Cambrils, in the Baix Camp region, 89 liters per square meter were recorded, with water reaching hip-height in some streets of the Vilafortuny neighborhood. In Altafulla, in Tarragonès, the maritime club suffered damage.
In Segrià, farmers are concerned about crop damage due to hail, with stones up to 5 centimeters recorded in the Pyrenees, affecting areas like Puigcerdà, in Cerdanya.
