Storm Oriana Devastates Spanish Agriculture and Disrupts Transportation with Widespread Road Closures
Storm Oriana has caused major disruptions to Spain's transportation network and severe agricultural damage in Salamanca due to flooding and landslides, with extreme weather alerts issued nationwide.
- • Storm Oriana has caused numerous road closures and landslides, especially in Cáceres and Badajoz provinces.
- • Agriculture in Salamanca heavily affected by floods; farmers are unable to access fields and are reconsidering crop types.
- • AEMET issued widespread weather alerts across ten autonomous communities including Andalucía and Cataluña, warning of heavy rain, snow, and strong winds.
- • Authorities are managing traffic diversions due to flooding, sinkholes, and landslides with expected weather improvement by Sunday.
Key details
Storm Oriana has brought severe weather conditions to Spain this February, causing significant disruptions in transportation and substantial damage to agriculture, particularly in Salamanca. The storm has led to multiple road closures and traffic restrictions across various provinces due to intense rain, snow, landslides, and flooding.
In the province of Cáceres alone, the Civil Guard reported numerous road incidents including complete closures of the CC-146 due to flooding between kilometers 3.400 and 3.900 and the CC-437 with heavy snow accumulation. Landslides caused lane closures on the CC-232, EX-208, CC-428, and on the A-66 towards Sevilla, where traffic has been diverted to the N-630. The region also experienced a sinkhole on the A-5, disrupting traffic near the Madrid-Portugal border. Additional closures include a rural road blocking access to Cuartos de Baño urbanization and the CC-436 in Badajoz province due to a sinkhole.
The storm's impact on agriculture has been particularly severe in Salamanca. According to Julián Juanes, an experienced farmer and vice president of Asaja Salamanca, the floodwaters have made it impossible for farmers to access their fields, with losses difficult to quantify at this stage. Juanes highlighted the unique severity of this winter, noting it as the worst in his 56 years. The persistent bad weather since October has forced many farmers to reconsider the types of crops planted, moving from winter lentils to alternatives such as chickpeas or sunflowers due to unstable climate conditions and inundated terrain.
AEMET's warnings cover ten autonomous communities including Andalucía, Castilla-La Mancha, Aragón, and Cataluña, with rainfall expected to reach up to 180 liters per square meter in places such as Cádiz. The storm’s passage also introduced strong winds with gusts reaching 100 km/h in northern regions and caused waves up to 5 meters high along the Cantabrian and Mediterranean coasts. Temperature drops and snowfall in mountainous areas have further complicated the situation.
The storm is expected to bring sustained adverse conditions through the weekend, with a gradual improvement forecasted by Sunday; however, some regions might still face localized rainfall. Authorities continue to monitor and manage the widespread transport disruptions while assessing the full agricultural damage triggered by the unprecedented intensity of Storm Oriana.
This article was translated and synthesized from Spanish sources, providing English-speaking readers with local perspectives.
