Torrential record rains unleash chaos in the Valencia metropolitan area

Record torrential rains have unleashed chaos this Saturday morning in the north and west of the Valencia metropolitan area, especially in Torrent, Aldaia, Riba-roja de Túria and Manises. The waterspout, with records that have accumulated above 170 liters per square meter and that has been accompanied by heavy hail in some points, has forced the airport to close the runway and divert half a dozen flights to Alicante , Ibiza and Barcelona. FGV has had to interrupt the circulation of metro line 1 between Torrent and Picasset, and line 2 between Pobla de Vallbona and Llíria, while Adif has been forced to do the same with the Cercanías lines between Valencia, Buñol and Requena, and between Loriguilla and Sant Isidre.

Firefighters and members of the security forces have responded to more than a hundred calls, most of them due to bilge water and the rescue of people trapped by accumulated water, especially in private vehicles. The overflow of the barrando de La Presa has forced the evacuation of four houses in a Manises urbanization as they were totally flooded; in Torrent the rescues of trapped neighbors have happened (the most complicated, that of a driver who had to climb on the hood of his car), while in Aldaia they have had to alert 112 to ask for help from the security forces at have several flooded streets. In Riba-roja, the health center has suffered serious material damage.

The storm, especially hail, has also forced the closure of two of the main roads into and out of l’Eliana. The waterspout has generated a traffic jam in the underpass to the subway tracks, on the road that connects the municipality with that of Riba-roja de Túria. A specialized company had to work in the area to restore circulation. The road that allows access to La Pobla de Vallbona was also cut off as it was flooded.

The road incidents have spread, so it has been necessary to also cut the A7 as it passes through Loriguilla towards Alicante, which has generated several kilometers of traffic jam. The vehicles have been diverted to the V-30. Likewise, the CV-370 has had to be cut in both directions at Masía de Traver, as well as the CV-374 in Loriguilla.

high records

From the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) they have echoed that in the last few hours “we have seen that the rainfall has broken records in an area very used to torrential rains, such as the Valencia-Manises airport, while, the Mediterranean registers extraordinary high temperatures, without precedents».

For its part, the Valencian Association of Meteorology (Avamet) has recorded the highest records in La Muntanyeta, in Llíria, with 173 liters per square meter, while in other towns such as Benaguasil or l’Eliana they have exceeded 130 liters. The Aemet points out that at the Manises airport the 111 liters have been exceeded.

However, it seems that as of 3:00 p.m. this Saturday, the situation may begin to normalize, after the orange level alert issued by the Aemet ends.