The situation remains chaotic Spain next day A historical snowflake. The strongest in nearly 60 years, the Philomena Blizzard began on Friday (8) and disrupted air, road and rail traffic in Madrid and other central regions of the country. Over the next few hours, the snow should give way to an unprecedented cold wave.
Hurricane Philomena, which left three dead in the country, also caused heavy rainfall in other Spanish regions. On Sunday (10), officials are racing against the clock to clear snow and clear roads and roads before the cold wave arrives.
VIDEO: Historic blizzard hits Spain and leaves country on red alert
Temperatures below 10ºC are likely to rise between this Sunday night and next Thursday (14), which informs the Spanish Meteorological Agency (AEMET). The cold wave will reach “a large part of the interior of the country”.
“Our goal is to take advantage of every minute before Monday, when the temperature will fall” to remove snow on the main roads, before it turns to snow, announced Saturday night, Madrid Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida has.
In an interview with RFI, the mayor asked the population to stay home. “There are a lot of people on the road and it is very dangerous. Second, so many people on the streets make it difficult for emergency services to work. It is necessary to leave the roads free so that municipal services can function. Please, I ask the population for security reasons, but at the same time to help municipal employees do their work to stay home, ”emphasized Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida.
He predicts that “it will be very difficult to move around the capital by next weekend”.
Airport must be operational again
The snow stopped falling on Saturday (9). The airport is expected to return to work later this Sunday in the Spanish capital and rail traffic. The army intervened to clear snow from the runway at the Madrid airport and reach hospitals, where the Kovid-19 epidemic is in great demand.
On highways, the situation is still complicated. According to the government, traffic was suspended or banned on more than 700 roads this morning. Many communities had to postpone the vaccination process against the new coronaviruses.
Hurricane “Philomena” travels to the regions of Catalonia and Aragon (northwest) this Sunday, which is slightly affected by yesterday’s snowfall in the center of the country.
A woman was crossed to the Plaza Mayor in Madrid during a heavy snowfall in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, January 9, 2021 – Photo: Andrea Comas / AP Photo
People cross Sola to Sol during heavy snowfall in Madrid, Spain – January 9, 2021 – Photo: Andrea Comas / AP Photo
(With information from AFP)
