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– An unusual and persistent blizzard that the Mayor of Madrid calls ‘the worst storm in 80 years’ has covered large areas of Spain in snow, freezing traffic and left thousands of people in cars or at train stations and airports that had all services suspended like snow continued to fall on Saturday. The capital and other parts of central Spain triggered a red weather alert for the first time, the highest, enlisting the military to rescue people from vehicles trapped on everything from minor roads to the city’s major thoroughfares, according to the AP. The national weather agency AEMET warned that some regions would receive more than 24 hours of continuous snowfall due to the strange combination of a cold air mass stagnating over the Iberian Peninsula and the arrival of the warmer Storm Filomena from the south. AEMET had said that in much of the country, up to 20 inches of snow could accumulate, but the accumulation reached more than 19 inches, even in urban areas.
Carlos Novillo, head of Madrid’s emergency response service, said more than 1,000 vehicles were trapped. “The situation remains … high risk. This is a very complex phenomenon and a critical situation,” Novillo posted on social media Saturday morning. “We ask all those who remain stuck to be patient, we will get you.” Airport operator AENA said Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas International Airport, the main gateway in and out of the country, would remain closed all day after the blizzard defeated machines and workers trying to keep the runways clear of snow. All trains in and out of Madrid, as well as the rail lines between the south and northeast of the country, were suspended, rail operator Renfe said. The storm is expected to move northeast all Saturday, AEMET said.
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