MADRID (Reuters) – Heavy snow from Storm Filomena left hundreds of drivers stuck in their cars on Friday because roads were blocked and Madrid airport was closed.
The M-30 and M-40 highways near Madrid were among more than 400 roads affected by the snow, traffic authorities said. Citizens were asked to avoid non-essential travel.
Some drivers were trapped in their vehicles in Madrid and unable to move because of the icy roads.
“I drove to my husband in the hospital and was stuck here for three hours. It’s a journey that should take 15 minutes, ”a woman told Spanish television RNE from her car.
The Red Cross delivered food to detained truck drivers on the A4 in Madrid.
“Due to unfavorable weather conditions, flights are diverted from Madrid Barajas Airport. Please check with your airline for the condition of your flight, ”Aena, who manages the country’s airports, said in a tweet.
The Real Madrid football team, heading to Pamplona for a game against La Liga rival Osasuna, waited more than two hours on a plane at Madrid airport.
With a snow forecast of up to 20 cm (8 inches) in 24 hours and temperatures hovering around zero degrees Celsius, the south of the Madrid region was at its highest alarm level for the first time since the system’s inception in 2007.
Major parks in the capital, including the Retiro next to the Prado Museum, were closed as a precaution.
“I have come to see and enjoy the snow. There is little else to do these days (because of the pandemic), ”said Juan Jose, 24, a marketing manager, outside Retiro Park.
High-speed trains between Madrid and the southeastern cities of Alicante and Valencia were suspended.
A record temperature of -35.6 ° C was recorded at Vega de Lourdes in Leon, northern Spain, the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) said.
Troops from the Military Emergency Situations Unit helped clear roads and infrastructure across the country, the Defense Department said.
“Perhaps we should go back to the snowfall of February 1984 or to that of March 1971 to find similar precedents if the predictions we expect are correct,” said Ruben del Campo, a spokesman for Aemet.
Reporting by Graham Keeley Emma Pinedo and Cristina Sanchez, published by Andrei Khalip, Gareth Jones, Andrew Heavens, David Gregorio and Sonya Hepinstall