Spain’s state weather service AEMET warned on 18 September 2026 of severe thunderstorms and heavy rain in five autonomous communities. In the Balearic Islands, particularly in Ibiza and Formentera, an orange alert is in force. Yellow alerts, and locally orange alerts, have been issued for parts of Catalonia, Aragon, the Region Valencia and Murcia. The alerts have been updated continuously by AEMET and the respective regional authorities since 17 September and apply to today.
AEMET (Agencia Estatal de Meteorología) describes a situation involving intense showers and thunderstorms that could bring significant amounts of rain locally in a short time. This creates risks such as flooding in low-lying areas and tunnels, flash floods in dry riverbeds, and disruption to road and ferry traffic. The Balearic Islands’ emergency authority had already urged people to take particular care on Thursday evening, noting time-limited alert periods for the Pityuses. Media and official reports from the east of the Iberian Peninsula confirm corresponding advance information for today.
According to AEMET, an orange alert signals a significantly increased level of danger, with possible effects on everyday activities and traffic. Yellow denotes weather-related risks that may be significant locally. AEMET says the short-term developments are crucial: as thunderstorm cells are small and move quickly, neighbouring areas can be affected very differently. Accordingly, AEMET and regional administrations note that the assessment of the danger may be adjusted over the course of the day, depending on the cells’ path and intensity.
AEMET is responsible for issuing official alerts; the civil protection services in the affected regions—including the Balearic Islands’ 112 emergency coordination centre—issue safety advice and coordinate precautionary measures. For shipping and ferry traffic in the Balearic Islands area, AEMET supplements its updates with maritime forecasts indicating sea conditions, wind and thunderstorms, which ferry companies and ports use for planning.
The authorities advise avoiding unnecessary journeys, keeping up with official alerts, not leaving parked vehicles on low-lying stretches of road and moving to higher ground if water levels rise quickly. Emergency services also urge people to stay away from waterways, dry riverbeds and coastal areas during thunderstorms, and to obey roadblocks and other barriers.
As of this morning, there have been no verified reports of serious injuries. The main areas being monitored remain the Balearic Islands and exposed coastal and mountainous areas in the east and south-east of mainland Spain. AEMET said it would issue further updates to the alerts in the coming hours; emergency services in the affected regions also plan to update their situation reports.
Editor: Andreas M. Brucker (Article created with AI assistance).