UK tourists in Spain issued warning amid amber alert for ‘hurricane’ conditions

Spain’s national weather agency Aemet has issued a special alert as hurricane Kirk, which has now been downgraded to a storm, is set to arrive tomorrow, October 9. Amber and yellow weather warnings are covering huge swathes of the country, with the north west of the country expected to be hardest hit.

Forecasters predict the storm will bring “very strong gusts of wind” for large parts of the country, along with heavy rainfall in the north west. Winds could even reach up to 120km/h in the Southwestern Asturia region.

Amber warnings for “violent north-west wind” are in place along the Cantanbrian and Biscay coastlines. “Possible hurricane-force gusts” are expected in the Cantabrian region, Galicia, the Pyrenees and northern Iberia. Across central Spain winds of up to 80km/h are forecast.

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Stormy conditions are expected along the north coast with amber warnings issued, while yellow coastal warnings have also been issued for the Mediterranean coastline including the Almeria, Castellon, Tarragona and Barcelona regions. Meanwhile force 7 winds (60km/h) and waves up to 3m are expected in the Balearic Islands, with yellow warnings in place for Ibiza, Majorca and Mallorca.

Forecasting for Wednesday, October 9, Aemet said: “Former hurricane Kirk is expected to be over the northwest of the peninsula, leaving a predominance of cloudy or overcast skies with precipitation advancing from west to east and affecting most of the Peninsula. Less abundant precipitation is expected the further east it goes, occurring weakly and occasionally in the far east and the Balearic Islands, and not expected to reach the southeastern tip of the peninsula.