Jan
6
A stormy start to 2016 across parts of Spain has those in the northwestern parts of the country on alert for flooding problems into the weekend.
After waves of rain sweep through northwestern half of the country on Thursday and Friday, new rainfall amounts in Vigo could reach 200 mm (7.87 inches) in just a week’s time.
On Saturday, a front will weaken slowly as it moves from central to eastern parts of Spain. Madrid, Aragon and Castilla-La Mancha could get some light showers for the first half of the weekend. However, the eastern coasts will remain dry with clouds and sunshine.
Meanwhile, in Galicia, another front will already be moving onshore with another round of steady rain.
From Saturday morning and into Sunday evening, heavy rain will persist across northern Portugal and parts of Galicia, Castile y Leon, Asturias and Cantabria.
“This weekend, rainfall amounts of 25-75 mm (1-3 inches) will be widespread across northwestern Spain,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys said. “But locally higher amounts up to 130 mm (about 5 inches) are also possible.”
Rain on Sunday will be the heaviest of the two weekend days.
“Flooding will definitely be a concern across the region into the weekend, especially given all of the rain that has fallen since New Year’s Day,” Roys added.
Finally a break in the heavier rain will come to Galicia on Monday. There could still be showers around, but the pause in the steady rain will help any floodwaters to start to recede.
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However, Monday will only be a brief break from the wet weather. A more persistent pattern, with rain coming off the Bay of Biscay, will bring rounds of rain on Tuesday and into the middle of the week.
The excessive rain has already made this region flood-weary for the start of the year. The forecast rain into the new week will only make things worse.
From 1 January to 5 January, a whopping 276 mm (10.87 inches) of rain fell in Porto, Portugal. That is already more than 100 mm (4 inches) over the average rain the city receives during the entire month of January.
In Galicia, the city of Vigo had substantial rain so far this month. A total of 146 mm (5.75 inches) of rain fell in the city in just the first five days of January, an amount that is 160 percent of the normal January rainfall.
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