Spain in new weather warning

23 February 2004
 
MADRID – Heavy winds, snow and rain were predicted in six provinces across Spain Monday.
 
Authorities issued a weather alert in Asturias, in the north, Navarra, in the north west, and  La Rioja and Aragon, in the north east.
 
High winds of up to 70kmh were also predicted in Gran Canarias in the Canary Islands.
 
Snow and heavy rain were also threatening parts of the province of Madrid, authorities said.
 
The warnings came after bad weather caused a series of problems for motorists.
 
Snow closed five mountain passes and forced motorists to use chains on the wheels of their cars on other roads, authorities said.
 
The areas worst affected were Plataforma de Gredos, Mijares and Serranillos, in Avila, near the border with Portugal, and Puerto de Honduras and Puerto de Piornal in Cáceres, west of Madrid.

Drivers were forced to use chains on the tyres of their cars in Asturias, Leon, Cantabria in the north, Huesca, in Catalonia in the north-east, Caceres and in Granada in Andalucia in the south.

Ice on the roads forced authorities to close some sections of roads in Casares de las Hurdes in Caceres and  Valdemeca  in Cuenca in central Spain.

According to reports from the regional government of Castilla y Leon, snowfalls in the mountains of the Sierra de Gredos forced motorists using ten roads in the area to use chains to drive carefully.
 
Emergency services in Extremadura, near the border with Portugal, said heavy rains had caused more problems on the roads with more rainfall predicted later Monday.
 
Forecasters predicted 60 litres of rain for every square metre over the next 12 hours.
 
[Copyright EFE with Expatica]

 
Subject: Spanish news