How Spain Copes with Snow

Ice, snow and high winds continue to sweep across the whole of Spain, and traffic remains disturbed in the north and in mountainous areas.

Thousands of children were unable to go to school in Catalunya, the Comunidad Valenciana and other parts of the country as winds reached 100 kilometres per hour in Mallorca, and in the region of Aragón.

Temperatures on the Mediterranean coast fell to 2ºC over the last few days, and dropped into minus figures during the night – at a time of year when this area usually sees temperatures of between 12ºC and 17ºC in the daytime.

Spain remains braced for snow with temperatures falling to below zero in many parts of the country. Roads, trains and airports are all expected to be affected, and the Ministry for Development has 405 snow ploughs at the ready and a workforce of 1,600 and 3,272 tons of salt. The Ministry has a budget of 55.2million dedicated to snow clearing this winter.

The Spanish Meteorological Agency has put the provinces of Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, Tarragona, A Coruña, Lugo, Asturias and Cantabria on orange alert for low temperatures and heavy snow, while 13 more in the regions of Aragón, Comunidad Valenciana, Castilla-La Mancha, País Vasco, Madrid and Navarra are on yellow alert for the same reason.

AENA the Spanish airports authority, say they have 80 snow and ice removing vehicles in operation across the country, and have extended their de-icing services for planes which need technical assistance on the ground.