The Firefighters of the Generalitat found the lifeless body of a man in the Olivella stream (Barcelona) early this Thursday morning, about 500 meters from where a car had been dragged by the current. The Firefighters had activated 11 teams with specialized agents in aquatic activities and drones after receiving a report from a person who had seen the car fall into the water at 23:03. Mossos has confirmed that the man was the person driving the vehicle.
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“We have quite a few calls, but a significant one is from a person who was swept away by the water while crossing a stream in Olivella,” explained the deputy director of prevention of Protecció Civil of the Generalitat, Joan Ramon Cabello, in statements to 3CatInfo. In some municipalities of the Garraf region, where Olivella is located, up to 80 liters per square meter have been recorded.
The Generalitat activated the Inuncat plan alert at noon this Wednesday and from the afternoon the rains fell heavily with a lot of electrical activity in much of the Catalan regions and almost no possibility of making forecasts for the technicians of the Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya (Meteocat), who had to continuously modify their warnings about which regions would suffer episodes of violent weather during the night.
In Olivella (Garraf), we have located the lifeless body of a man about 500 meters from the point where the vehicle was dragged by the stream, in an accessible area.
— Bombers (@bomberscat) September 16, 2026
We have recovered the body and @mossos has confirmed that the man was the driver of the vehicle. https://t.co/SlEBaKBzMS
When the clocks marked around 21:30, Protecció Civil sent an ES-Alert message due to the risk of violent weather in the Barcelonès and Maresme regions. An hour and a half later, they issued the same alert for the inhabitants of Baix Llobregat, Garraf (precisely where they were searching for the missing person), Alt and Baix Penedès, and Vallès Occidental due to torrential rains until one in the early hours of Thursday. The Generalitat Valenciana and the Junta de Andalucía also sent alert messages for the heavy rains forecast in the provinces of Valencia and Almería, respectively.
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has asked for “maximum caution” from citizens in the most affected areas by the storms and to follow “emergency recommendations.” “The heavy rains and storms are causing very complicated situations tonight in several areas of our geography,” he added in a message published via X.
The Catalan Generalitat has insisted on calling on citizens to take precautions if they have to move from one place to another, although it did not cancel the match between Barça and Racing de Santander, which started at 21:30 at Camp Nou, considering that the audience in the stadium was “in a safe situation.” In Valencia, the match between Levante UD and Athletic Club was indeed suspended.
In Valencia, the heavy rains forced the interruption of Metrovalencia circulation on lines L1 and L2 early in the afternoon. The Valencia airport is also closed due to flooding, and two flight diversions have occurred.
In Almería, the Junta also sent an ES-Alert for prevention due to heavy rains. Likewise, the Andalusian Minister of Presidency, Antonio Sanz, has reported that on Thursday in-person educational activity will be suspended in the Almerian municipalities of Pulpí, Huércal-Overa, and Cuevas del Almanzora. Similarly, the Government of the Region of Murcia has canceled classes in about fifteen localities.
Services in Catalonia
In Barcelona, the storm forced the closure of three metro stations on L1 (Sant Andreu, Fabra i Puig, and Trinitat Vella), partial service was provided on L4 between La Pau and Verdaguer, and L11 operated partially between Trinitat Vella and Ciutat Meridiana. There were also closures on the Barcelona ring roads. The Servei Català de Trànsit announced that the B-20 at its passage through Santa Coloma de Gramenet towards Mataró had to be closed due to flooding and that the rain is also forcing speed reductions on the C-58 between Ripollet and Barcelona and the C-33 between La Llagosta and Barcelona. It also caused power outages affecting up to 7,696 subscribers in Barcelona.
Traffic cut on the Ronda de Dalt at exit 2 (Llobregat) and exit 3 (Besòs).
— Ajuntament de Barcelona (@bcn_ajuntament) September 16, 2026
❌Entries 1, 2, and 3 (Llobregat) closed.
🚒Firefighters and GUB working on site. pic.twitter.com/SacQsKx3Lk
At eleven at night, Bombers de la Generalitat had received 191 reports (144 between eight and eleven at night), mainly due to floods and water leaks. Most of these reports occurred in the metropolitan region of Barcelona. When some videos posted on the social network X already showed flooded streets in the Catalan capital, the Firefighters had to attend the Vall d’Hebrón Hospital, where some basement areas ended up flooded, although a spokesperson for the center denies that there are impacts in patient areas, although some have been moved to other areas as a precaution. In a corridor of the pediatric nephrology area, a false ceiling also collapsed due to accumulated water.
In Girona, the intensity of the rains forced the Catalan Water Agency to issue a hydrological risk warning in the Ter river basin due to the rise in water flow in some areas. The Generalitat recommends not approaching low points or flood-prone areas.
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