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Date Published: 15/08/2024

Hail in August: This was the freak storm that battered Murcia this Wednesday

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Emergency services received nearly 100 calls for fallen trees and mudslides during the storm, but thankfully no one has been reported seriously harmed

Hail in August: This was the freak storm that battered Murcia this Wednesday

The high-impact storm that whirled across the Mediterranean yesterday, Wednesday August 14, brought extreme and unseasonable weather to the Region of Murcia, including a tornado, fire caused by a lightning strike and even reports of hail.

For most of the day, Murcia was on orange alert for adverse weather conditions that also affected other parts of Spain such as Catalonia, Valencia, Castilla-La Mancha, Andalucía and the Balearic Islands.

However, the rains were not as heavy as expected and the most affected area in Murcia was the municipality of Puerto Lumbreras, where the Confederación Hidrográfica del Segura (CHS) recorded 44.4 litres of rainfall per square metre – 32.4 of which fell in the space of just half an hour.

This was followed by 40.4 litres per square metre in Orihuela and 32.6 litres per square metre in the reservoir of La Pedrera (Alicante), according to the measurements of the Automatic Hydrological Information Systems (SAIH).

In Murcia, the rain mainly fell in the Guadalentín Valley around the southwest of the Region. Totana, for instance, received 14.8 litres of rain per square metre.

In Camposol, a tornado was even spotted in the skies due to the strong gusts of wind.

🌪️ Confirmado: Tornado en el Sureste

Nos llega el video corto del tornado que ha afectado a una zona próxima a la urbanización Camposol (Mazarrón) formado en una super célula.

🎥 Vía Mazarrón al minuto pic.twitter.com/HWrC6jVsML
— AMETSE (@MeteoSE) August 14, 2024

The amount of water accumulated meant that emergency and Civil Protection personnel had to bail out basements and garages, removing debris and diverting traffic on some roads.

The heavy rainfall, accompanied by strong gusts of wind and even some hailstones, surprised drivers at midday on the A-7 at the entrance to Murcia city. Given the lack of visibility, many drivers opted to stop their journey on the bridges over the road or in the areas set aside for this purpose to wait for the storm to abate.

Between 12pm and 7.30pm, the Emergency Coordination Centre 112 Region of Murcia received a total of 96 calls related to the rain and storms. 22 of these calls were made from Murcia capital, while 18 were from Puerto Lumbreras and 13 from Yecla.

Mostly, these emergency calls related to fences, traffic cones and road signs having blown down into the roads, as well as fallen trees or roads blocked due to stones and mudslides.

In Puerto Lumbreras, an uninhabited house collapsed, while lightning strikes caused minor fires in the countryside around Yecla, Jumilla and Cehegín, though these were quickly extinguished with the help of a firefighting helicopter.

Efectivos adscritos al #PlanInfomur sofocan conatos de incendio forestales esta tarde en la #RegióndeMurcia ocasionados por la caída de rayos en Yecla, Jumilla y Cehegínhttps://t.co/kGHhbEHDGj

📹facilitado por @defensaforeMUR pic.twitter.com/mzyEl9Fr0D
— 112 Región de Murcia (@112rmurcia) August 14, 2024

Thanks to the rains, the risk of forest fires has now been reduced from ‘extreme’ to ‘low’ in the entire Region of Murcia.

In the early afternoon on Wednesday, a Murcia-Alicante Cercanías train hit a tree that had fallen on the track at the entrance to the Callosa de Segura station (Alicante) and, as a result, one of its axles went off the track.

Thankfully, nobody was harmed but the 100 or so passengers on the train at the time had to be transferred to another train from Callosa to Alicante, according to Renfe. Adif said that due to this incident, rail traffic between Callosa and Orihuela was interrupted for a time.

The various Town Halls around the Region had set up emergency teams to help respond: Murcia City Council checked more than 200 sewage and rainwater pumping installations and the 14 underground storm tanks in the city to ensure that the water could drain correctly and Murcia Local Police blocked off the Espinardo and Churra ramblas to warn drivers not to leave their vehicles there as in the past cars have been swept away by the force of the water.

In Lorca, two Emergency workers and four Civil Protection volunteers used specially adapted vehicles, motor pumps and machinery to remove potential hazards and carried out continuous monitoring throughout the day.

Wednesday’s storm has also brought with it a sharp drop in temperatures almost everywhere in Murcia, which is something of a blessing after recent scorching days and torrid nights.

Now, all the weather alerts have been deactivated in Murcia, and the forecast for this Thursday, August 15, is for cloudy intervals with showers and thunderstorms, more likely in the south during the afternoon. A light wind will blow from the east and it will be nowhere as near as dramatic as yesterday.

In the rest of the country, the storm is expected to continue to cause showers and thunderstorms, which will be especially strong in the Balearic Islands, Catalonia and Valencia.

>>> For regular weather updates, join the Murcia Weather Watch Facebook group or see our Weather & Climate section <<<

Image 1: Concejalía Seguridad y Emergencias de Puerto Lumbreras

Image 2: Defensaforemur

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