FOURTEEN Spanish autonomous communities have so far been put on alert for severe weather conditions due to storm Arwen this Saturday, November 27.
Three of the worst affected communities- Cantabria, Navarra and the Basque Country- are on maximum warning (red) due to the extreme risk of heavy snow.
The State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) issued amber alerts for snowfall across Aragon, Asturias, Castilla y Leon and La Rioja.
Storm Arwen (named by the British meteorological service) gathered over the Cantabrian coast early this Saturday, encasing the area with a cold front. Persistent snow and rainfall have been reported in the north of the country.
The storm is forecast to move south across the peninsula as the day progresses.
Aemet has issued amber warnings for snowfalls that can accumulate between 5 and 37 centimetres of snow throughout the day from a height of 600 meters in Huesca, 20 centimetres (cm); Burgos, from 5 to 35 cm; Lion, 37 cm; Palencia, 33 cm; Zaragoza, 5 cm; Asturias, 25 cm; Cantabria, Navarra and La Rioja, 20 cm.
Yellow warnings have also been issued for Lérida, Lugo, Orense, Álava, Vizcaya, Guipúcoa, Soria, Ávila, Segovia, Zamora and Madrid.
Daytime temperatures in the areas mentioned are not expected to experience any major changes, although intense lows are forecast for the mountain ranges of the Pyrenees.
Asturias, Cantabria, Vizcaya, Guipuzcoa and Navarra are at risk of heavy rain that may accumulate up to 40 litres per square meter in 12 hours.
The Canary Islands could see torrents of rain between 40 to 60 litres per square meter. Tenerife, La Palma and La Gomera are on orange alert since the forecast indicates that they could receive up to 30 litres per square meter of rainfall in a single hour.
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