Catalonia’s Civil Protection agency has activated its special emergency plan for high winds, known as VENTCAT, in anticipation of a powerful weather system set to sweep across the region from Wednesday night through Friday morning. The alert follows a forecast from the Meteorological Service of Catalonia (Meteocat) predicting widespread gusts that could exceed 70 kilometers per hour.


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While significant, authorities have stressed that this episode is expected to be less severe than the storm that battered the region last week. That event, which triggered a maximum 6-out-of-6 danger alert, forced the Generalitat de Catalunya to suspend school activities and tragically resulted in the death of a worker in Barcelona and over 80 injuries across various municipalities. The current alert level peaks at 4-out-of-6, indicating a serious but less extreme situation.

The technical committee for the emergency plan convened on Wednesday to coordinate the response from the CECAT (Operational Coordination Center of Catalonia) headquarters.

Timeline and Affected Areas

The wind event is forecast to begin around 6:00 PM on Wednesday in the central counties of Girona, such as Selva, Osona, Garrotxa, and Ripollès, though with a low initial danger level of 1-out-of-6. According to reports from VilaWeb, the intensity is expected to increase overnight, strengthening along the coast from the Barcelonès to the Baix Penedès, as well as inland in Alt Penedès and Anoia.

Thursday is projected to see the most intense conditions, with the danger level rising to 4-out-of-6. The strong westerly winds will expand to affect the Vallès Occidental, Camp de Tarragona, Terres de l’Ebre, Ponent, and the Pyrenees. Meteocat has warned that wind speeds could widely reach 20 meters per second (72 km/h). In some exposed coastal areas, such as Baix Camp and Tarragonès, gusts could potentially exceed 125 km/h between 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM.

In the Pyrenees, the strong winds pose an additional risk of creating blizzard or whiteout conditions (known locally as torb) due to blowing accumulated and freshly fallen snow.

By early Friday morning, the high winds are expected to recede, with the risk becoming confined to the northern third of Catalonia, from the Aran Valley to Alt Empordà. The alert is scheduled to be deactivated by 7:00 AM on Friday.

Official Advice and Regional Impact

Protecció Civil has urged the public to exercise caution throughout the alert period. They advise securing or removing any loose objects from balconies and windows that could be blown away, such as furniture and planters. Residents are also advised to be particularly careful around wooded areas and parks, as trees may have been weakened by recent periods of rain and wind, increasing the risk of falling branches or entire trees.

The warning comes as many towns are still holding Carnival festivities, prompting an additional call for vigilance at outdoor events. Similar weather events have previously caused significant disruptions, including traffic restrictions and rail chaos, as detailed in past Barna.News reports on regional windstorms.

The weather system’s impact extends beyond Catalonia. Spain’s national weather agency, AEMET, has issued an orange alert—signifying important risk—for the northern coast of the Valencian Community, where northwest winds could produce gusts up to 100 km/h. Yellow alerts for winds up to 80 km/h are also in place for inland areas of Valencia and Alicante. In Northern Catalonia (France), Météo-France has also activated a yellow alert.

Catalonia wind alert

Primary source: La Vanguardia Catalonia.