Never under estimate the power of the rain in Spain

With Gota Fría season upon us anyone living in Spain, or ever experienced a Gota Fría, does not need reminding of the devastation they can cause or the images that emerge once the rain stops - For those who have never experienced it here is some information that might be useful.

Last autumn was my first experience and when the warnings were published and the locals began to talk about it I have to admit I was guilty of thinking ´what are they all moaning about, try living through a wet spell in the UK'. But how wrong could I be!

In September last year I had friends over from the UK, the weather alerts came and I was just gutted my friends and I wouldn´t be able to spend the day on the beach.... little did I know what three days of torrential storms would bring and that we would be thanking our lucky stars at how lightly we got off here in Mazarrón.

For those who don´t know much about the Gota Frías, or Danas as they are also known here in Spain, they are caused predominantly by the sea remaining extremely warm and the upper air stream suddenly dropping. As the warm air filled with vapour rises, it cools to quickly when it meets the cold upper air steam and so a storm is created.

Factors that impact the intensity of a Gota Fria include the high temperature of the Mediterranean, unstable air, wind and a mass of cold air. 

The worrying and dangerous things about them is their unpredictability, the difficulty to accurately predict their exact drop and the intensity of the torrential conditions at very localised levels.

Last Year in Murcia, places such as La Manga del Mar Menor, Los Alcázares and San Javier were all badly hit. With properties, businesses, vehicles all badly damaged and very sadly 7 lives were lost outside of the region of Murcia.

Train lines in Murcia were flooded, schools in the region closed, the delicate eco-system of the Mar Menor was damaged by the debris and agricultural fertilizer that ended up in it, driving was not advise anywhere in the region, Covera Aiport was closed, the beaches and seafronts disappeared under the flood waters, the Segura burst it banks and thousands were evacuated from their homes. 

In some areas the Spanish military emergency services were bought in to support the local services and volunteers. Locally in Mazarrón collections and charitable donations were collected and delivered to those most in need across the region. 

With a conservative estimate of 190 Million euros damage (across all of the regions effected) suddenly the extent of the situation became very apparent.  

 

Gota Frías of this intensity do not occur every year but because of their unpredictability it is important to know where to look out for the alerts and what to do in the event one is issued...

Alerts can be found at http://www.aemet.es/en/eltiempo/prediccion/avisos or many of the mobile apps, such as El Tiempo. 

• Avoid ramblas - Dry river-beds or floodwater channels
• Avoid areas prone to flooding
  
• Avoid driving 
• Stay in the house and wait for the storm to pass
• Maintain the state of your roof, windows and doors 
• Keep important paperwork and valuables up high
• Have a torch & first aid kit to hand
• Head to the top floor of your property

Un saludo

Chica de Mazarron xx