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Storm Kirk puts all of Spain on high alert for hurricane-force winds
The violent storm has already resulted in diverted flights and road closures across Spain
A powerful Atlantic storm, the tail-end of Hurricane Kirk, is keeping almost all of Spain on alert this Wednesday October 9. The State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) is predicting wind gusts of up to 120 km/h, a strong maritime storm with waves that could reach 7 metres high and intense rain that will accumulate 100 litres per square metre in just 12 hours.
Before 9am, several flights had to be diverted from Bilbao airport, unable to land due to the driving winds. One flight from Alicante had to turn around and return to base, as did another from Barcelona, and planes arriving from Malaga and Madrid were forced back as well.
In other parts of northern Spain, several roads have been blocked by falling branches and debris.
The wind will be the most concerning weather anomaly throughout Wednesday with hurricane forces expected across the country. Asturias, in the far northwest of Spain, has been issued with a red weather warning, the highest risk level, and several other regions have been warned of a significant risk because of the gusts.
Galicia, one of the most affected communities, will suffer intense rains that will accumulate up to 100 litres per square metre in 12 hours, winds of 100 km/h and strong waves of up to 7 meters.
Weather alerts on Wednesday
In the rest of the country, the Valencian Community, Murcia, Madrid, Catalonia, Castilla-La Mancha, the Balearic Islands and Andalucía are on yellow alert for winds between 70 and 100 km/h or due to treacherous sea conditions. In Aragon and Extremadura, in addition to the wind, rain is expected that could accumulate 40 litres per square metre.
This extreme weather event will be brutal but short-lived, and while things will settle down again overnight, Kirk will sadly not be the last storm of the week to hit Spain.
Meteorologists are expecting a new Atlantic front to arrive on Friday October 11 and if it makes landfall, it will be christened Storm Berenice. The path of this squall is by no means certain, but at the moment the experts believe it will settle off the coast of Portugal, driving a secondary low through the southwest of Spain.
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Images: Archive/Aemet
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