A severe thunderstorm has hit the Spanish holiday hotspot of Tarragona, popular with British tourists, flooding streets and blocking roads with fallen trees. The extreme weather struck the Catalonia region on Monday, causing serious disruption in Camp de Tarragona.
Public transport has been heavily affected, with bus cancellations reported. Strong hail and winds, alongside heavy downpours, flooded streets and plazas. Affected areas include Carrer Joan Baptista Plana, Imperial Tàrraco, Carrer Vidal i Barraquer, Carrer d'Apodaca, and Avinguda Prat de la Riba.
Emergency response and warnings
Firefighters responded to 129 calls, 107 of them in the Tarragona region, over just an hour and a half, as tree branches fell and electrical cables faced issues. Despite blocked roads and significant material damage, Sonia Orts, the Councillor for Civil Protection and Mobility, said: "Fortunately, there are no reports of personal injuries."
Tarragona City Council is working to remove dangerous trees and has closed local parks. The public has been warned to stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel.
Weather alert and wider impact
The Meteorological Service of Catalonia has issued a six out of six violent weather alert, with the risk of hailstones larger than two centimeters in diameter. The heavy rainfall also caused the death of many pigeons, visible in videos struck on the floor among the high levels of water.
The storm also impacted several other areas in the northeast before reaching Tarragona. Several municipalities in Segrià, such as Almenar, Corbins, Albatàrrec, and Lleida city, were already hit by huge hailstones, impacting local crops.
The weather comes just days after hurricane-force winds tore through the Balearic Islands overnight, with winds peaking at 121 kilometres per hour in the early hours of Friday. Tourists and residents woke to scenes of scattered debris, flooded roads, and battered coastal areas across the archipelago that includes Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera.
