UK tourists warned as Spain issues rare red alert

British holidaymakers in Spain are warned of extreme weather conditions today as a rare red alert is issued. The country is set to be battered by strong winds and heavy rain as the former hurricane Kirk makes landfall.

Aemet, the country’s national weather agency, has issued an ‘extreme risk’ red weather warning for the Picos de Europa mountain range, in the Asturias region, close to the Cantabrian coast in northern Spain. ‘Hurricane-force’ gusts reaching up to 140km/h are forecast for the area, with the warning in place from 9am today until 5pm local time.

Sharing the alert on social media, Spain’s General Directorate of Civil Protection and Emergencies has urged residents “to stay informed” during the extreme weather. It has advised people to follow safety guidance on its website, which includes what to do when driving and how to secure property.

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Across the rest of north west Spain amber warnings are in place for winds of up to 100km/h. Amber alerts for ‘violent north-west wind’ have been issued along the Cantabrian coast where force 8 and ‘occasional’ force 9 gusts are forecast. Coastal warnings for strong winds and large waves are in force along the country’s entire coastline in the north.

Conditions are set to ease towards the east of the country but yellow warnings for wind gusts of up to 70km/h have been issued for central Spain, while yellow coastal warnings are in place for the Almeria, Castellon, Barcelona and Girona coastlines. Force 7 winds are forecast for the coastline of Balearic Islands with warnings in place for waves of up to 3.

Forecasting for Spain for Wednesday, Aemet said that “wind will be the most significant phenomenon of the day.” It said: “In the eastern Cantabrian Sea there will be a gale turning from south to northwest. It will blow strongly from the south and southwest in most of the Peninsula and the Balearic Islands, with a westerly wind in the Strait and Alboran, and a tendency to turn to a westerly component in the rest.

“It is expected to reach strong and/or very strong gusts in most of the territory, less likely in the interior of the extreme southwest, and except in the northeast where it will be weak from the southeast. It will be more intense in the Cantabrian Sea, the northwest quadrant and the Pyrenees, and may reach hurricane-force gusts in parts of Galicia, the north of the Iberian Peninsula, the Pyrenees and the Cantabrian area, especially in its mountains. Light northerly wind in the Canary Islands.”

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