Madrid, January 5 – The Community of Madrid, along with nine other Spanish autonomous communities, remains under a yellow alert for snowfall today, as predicted by the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet). This comes after snow fell in the capital overnight, covering vehicles and bringing winter conditions.
Widespread Snow Alerts Across Spain
The yellow alert, indicating a risk of snow, is also active in Catalonia, Andalusia, Aragon, Asturias, both Castilles (Castilla y León and Castilla-La Mancha), Galicia, Murcia, and the Valencian Community. Cantabria, however, has been elevated to an orange alert, signifying significant risk, with an expected accumulation of around 5 centimeters of snow within 24 hours at altitudes of 700-800 meters.
Images from Luis López show vehicles in Madrid covered in snow this morning, confirming the overnight snowfall in the city. The Francis storm has been responsible for this unstable start to the year, bringing widespread rain, strong storms, and a sharp drop in temperatures across much of the country.
Impact of the Francis Storm
The situation is expected to worsen with the arrival of a very cold Arctic air mass, leading to widespread frosts in some areas. Aemet has issued a special warning for snowfall at low altitudes in large parts of the north, center, and east of the Peninsula from Sunday, January 4, until at least Tuesday, January 6. This could potentially affect the Three Kings’ Day Parade in certain regions.
For Madrid, Aemet’s forecast for January 5 indicates ‘cloudy or overcast’ skies with ‘weak precipitation’ in the form of snow at all altitudes, accompanied by ‘widespread weak frosts, persistent and locally significant in the Sierra’. Rubén del Campo, Aemet’s spokesperson, noted on X (formerly Twitter) that the highest probability of snow in Madrid is during the early hours of Monday, January 5, reaching up to 60%. However, this probability significantly decreases by midday, suggesting that while the parade itself might not see snow, intense cold will be a prominent feature.
Meteorologist Mario Picazo also warned of snowfall in the capital, with the European model predicting ‘2 centimeters between Sunday night and early Monday’. He emphasized that this snowfall is not expected to be as severe as the ‘Filomena’ storm. Meteored indicated that the snow level in Madrid could drop to 400-600 meters around 10:00 AM, potentially leading to snowfall in the city, before rising again later in the day.
Temperatures to Remain Low
Temperatures in the Madrid region are expected to drop on January 5, particularly the maximums. The capital anticipates a high of 4 degrees Celsius and a low of -1 degrees Celsius, with some areas like Aranjuez potentially reaching -4 degrees Celsius. These cold temperatures are expected to persist through Three Kings’ Day, with widespread weak frosts, more intense in mountainous areas.
The Community of Madrid has been preparing for such conditions with its Winter Inclement Weather Plan, which includes 6,600 personnel and vehicles, anti-ice signals, and road sensors. This plan, active until April 30, aims to ensure road safety and responsiveness to cold and snow events. Recent incidents, such as a fire on Calle Fuencarral attributed to an electrical fault, highlight the importance of robust infrastructure and emergency preparedness during challenging weather conditions.
Aemet’s long-range forecast suggests that while temperatures may normalize towards the end of this week, the first week of December is likely to see temperatures around normal values with below-average precipitation. However, these predictions come with a degree of uncertainty.
Source: abc.es
