Spain’s weather service Aemet on 17 September lowered the severe-weather warning for the area Campo de Cartagena and Mazarrón at the Region Murcia from red to yellow. Earlier, very heavy rainfall, in some places falling within an hour, had disrupted road traffic and caused local flooding. Cartagena City Council activated an ES-Alert through the regional emergency coordination centre and urged people to move to sheltered areas on higher ground.
The sequence of events was confirmed by Aemet and the relevant regional authorities: the highest warning level, red, was issued briefly in the morning after measurements and nowcasting analyses indicated an immediate risk of extremely heavy rainfall. As the showers eased during the day and the convection became more confined to specific areas, Aemet lowered the warning to yellow. In the warning system of Meteoalerta red denotes exceptional danger with a very high likelihood of impact, while yellow denotes potentially hazardous weather conditions with a limited spatial and temporal extent.
Emergency services in the Region of Murcia reported numerous disruptions at midday, particularly flooded underpasses and temporary road closures in the affected municipalities. In Cartagena several technical assistance call-outs were recorded within a short time. So far, there have been no reports of fatalities; the damage assessment has focused on property damage. Emergency coordination centres stressed that warning levels are adjusted dynamically and are based on current observations from monitoring networks and Doppler radar data.
According to Aemet and regional authorities, around 50 to more than 60 litres per square metre fell in parts of Campo de Cartagena within an hour. Such torrential downpours can trigger flash floods in a short time, especially in low-lying areas, underpasses and places where drainage is vulnerable. Municipalities and the Directorate for Safety and Emergencies urged people to avoid hazardous areas, postpone journeys and strictly observe road closures.
Aemet is continuously monitoring the development of shower bands in the south-eastern Mediterranean. Authorities note that heavy showers and thunderstorms may form locally again, even though the overall risk is currently considered lower. The latest information is being issued by Aemet, the regional emergency coordination centre 112 Región de Murcia and the town councils concerned. The public is asked to follow official advice and heed new warnings, including possible ES-Alert messages.
Editor: Andreas M. Brucker (Article created with AI assistance).