Spain: intensive snow removal before the onset of a cold snap
Snow plow in action on a highway in Rivas Vaciamadrid, January 9, 2021. AP - Manu Fernandez
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3 min
In the aftermath of a historic snowstorm, the authorities are engaged, this Sunday, January 10, in a race against time to clear the streets and roads in Madrid and part of Spain before the arrival of a wave of unprecedented cold on the Iberian Peninsula.
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The storm, dubbed Filomena, beyond the snow in the central region of Spain, also brought heavy rains in other areas.
She has so far killed three people.
Now “
minimum temperatures below -10ºC
” are expected across much of the interior of the country overnight from Sunday to Monday and through Thursday, according to the Spanish Meteorological Agency (AEMET).
Very difficult trips
"
Our goal is to take advantage of every minute before Monday when the temperature drops
" to clear snow from the main roads before the snow turns into ice, announced the mayor of Madrid, José Luis, on the evening of Saturday 9 January. Martinez-Almeida, on the La Sexta channel.
"
By the end of the week, it will be very difficult to move
" in the capital, where the snow stopped falling on Saturday afternoon, he warned.
In Madrid, the army had to be deployed to clear snow from the runways of the airport which remained closed at least until Sunday afternoon, as well as access to hospitals, still under pressure in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Historical snowfall of several tens of centimeters covered Madrid and part of Spain on Friday and Saturday, paralyzing the axes of communication.
Traffic disrupted on 700 roads
According to the government, traffic remained suspended or disrupted on more than 700 routes Sunday morning while trains to or from Madrid are canceled until Sunday afternoon.
Storm Filomena is moving, this Sunday, January 10, to the regions of Catalonia and Aragon in the northeast of the country, affected by less snowfall than in the center of the country the day before.
(
with AFP
)
►
See also: Spain: Madrid blocked by a snowstorm in the midst of a pandemic
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