Barcelona city centre experienced a sudden hailstorm on Tuesday afternoon, lasting approximately 20 minutes. Pedestrians were caught off guard by the small hailstones, which measured less than 5 mm, according to Nació Digital.
Heavy showers, often accompanied by thunderstorms and hail, have intensely affected Catalonia's central coastal and pre-coastal areas, the southern third of the territory, and the Eastern Pyrenees in recent hours. The storm is now moving north towards Ripollès and Garrotxa, where the Catalan meteorological service, Meteocat, has issued a red alert for potential hail larger than 2 cm in diameter and wind gusts exceeding 25 m/s.
Emergency Services Respond
Protecció Civil, Catalonia's civil protection agency, activated its Inuncat plan to alert status. The agency advised extreme caution for outdoor activities and travel, particularly in areas prone to rapid water accumulation or sudden rises in streams and rivers. Meteocat has intensified and expanded its warnings to a total of 28 counties, with 11 of these at an orange alert level, indicating significant risk.
By 5pm, the 112 emergency telephone service had received 17 calls related to the Inuncat alert. The Bages county recorded the most calls with nine, followed by Baix Llobregat and Vallès Oriental with two each. Monistrol de Montserrat was the municipality with the highest number of alerts, receiving six calls.
Firefighters Tackle Incidents
Firefighters carried out around 30 call-outs between 3pm and 5:30pm on Tuesday due to the storms. Most of these services were for minor flooding and fallen branches. Nine call-outs were in the central region, eight in the metropolitan south, six in the metropolitan north, five in the Girona region, and two in the Tarragona region. Additionally, firefighters deployed preventive units to Montserrat to assist any hikers who might encounter difficulties.
Authorities continue to monitor the weather situation closely as showers and thunderstorms are expected to persist across nearly all of Catalonia, with some areas experiencing very intense conditions. Residents are advised to stay informed through official channels and follow safety recommendations.
