He strong wind storm that has hit a good part of Catalonia since this noon, with gusts of up to 100 kilometers per hour, has left 150 passengers trapped on a train due to the fall of a tree in Marçà (Tarragona) and has forced the N-260 to be cut in the Empordà region of Girona.
The storm, which coincides with a sharp drop in temperatureshas led Civil Protection to activate several of its emergency plans in the alert phase due to the forecast of strong winds and rough seas, which will coincide with the first snowfalls in the Pyrenees.
He weather change has been installed in Catalonia in the middle of the Constitution Bridge, in which some 436,000 vehicles left Barcelona and its metropolitan area, part of which are expected to return throughout this Sunday.
For this reason, the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, has made a call for extreme caution and to follow the Civil Protection recommendations at all times.
Two hours trapped on a train
On this Saturday afternoon, the storm caused the first serious incidentwhen the fall of a tree on the road in Marçà (Tarragona) due to the strong wind left people trapped for about two hours. 150 passengers of an R-15 train, between the stations of Mora la Nóva and Pradell (Tarragona).
The tree has fallen in a hard-to-reach areaso the emergency services have advised that passengers remain inside the train, which was able to resume moving around 5:30 p.m., once it had been removed. Half an hour later, traffic on the R-15 has returned to normal.
Since the alert for the gale was activated this Friday and until 6:00 p.m. this Saturday, the Generalitat Firefighters have received 450 warnings due to incidents caused by windin most cases falls from trees or elements of facades or street furniture.
The regions of Tarragona, Barcelona and its metropolitan environment and the Empordà area They are the ones that have suffered the most from the wind in recent hours, with gusts that have exceeded 100 kilometers per hour.
The gale has also forced cut off traffic at 3:30 p.m. on the N-260 road as it passes through Coll de Beltrines, in the Girona town of Portbou.
First snowfall in the Pyrenees
This Saturday afternoon the evenings have also begun to fall. first snowfall in the Pyreneeswhich is why the use of chains is necessary on the C-28 highway, in the Port de la Bonaigua, and circulation has been restricted on the N-230 between Vilaller and Vielha due to snow and ice on the road.
The forecasts of the Meteocat service indicate that in the next few hours registrations will continue strong gusts of windwhich can exceed 126 kilometers per hour, especially in the Western Pyrenees and the southern third of the coast.
As a result of the storm, Barcelona City Council activated the alert for the episode and has launched his prevention planso it closes the city’s parks, while remembering the prohibition of approaching the breakwaters and bathing in the sea.
For its part, the L’Hospitalet City Council has the event was suspended scheduled for this Saturday afternoon at the town hall for the recreation on its façade of a advent calendar due to the wind storm, while also activating its prevention plan.
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