Thursday, March 05, 2009

Winter is not over yet

Snow, wind and cold are forecast today for the whole Iberian Peninsula. The State Agency for Meteorology (AEMET) has maintained its alert for all the independent communities, with the exception of the Canary Islands. In addition, 19 Spanish provinces are on orange alert which indicates an important risk.

The Cantabrian cornice (the coasts of the Basque Country, Cantabria and Asturias) are on red alert for coastal winds and on orange alert for snow.

The snow level will be around 400/700 metres in the north of the peninsular , 700/1,000 metres in the central zone and the Balearics, and 1.000/1.300 metres in the south.

Civil defence have also, alerted the Spanish Airports and Navegación Aérea (AENA).

The wind has already caused problems in Madrid where a billboard is blocking access to the capital on the A2 from Barcelona.

In Ceuta, the strong winds have forced the suspension of classes, affecting 15,000 students and people are advised not to leave their houses. In addition, communications with the mainland have had to be cut.

Yesterday afternoon, gusts of wind of more than 60 kilometers per hour, destroyed the roof tiles on more than 20 houses in Ceuta and forced the cancellation of marine traffic between the ports of Ceuta and Algeciras (Cadiz).

In Andalusia, two buildings in Beds (Seville) and Cadiz collapsed in the strong winds.

The advice is to only travel by car if it is necessary and if you intend to use the motorways, drive with caution taking heed of the recommendations from Trafico. Driver are also advised to take warm clothing and a mobile phone with a spare battery with them.

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