MADRID (Reuters) – Heavy snowfall from Hurricane Filomena left hundreds of drivers trapped in their cars on Friday as roads were blocked and Madrid airport closed.
The M-30 and M-40 motorways near Madrid were among more than 400 roads affected by the snow, according to traffic authorities. Citizens were asked to avoid non-essential travel.
Some drivers were trapped in their vehicles in Madrid, unable to move due to icy roads.
“I drove my husband to the hospital and I was trapped here for three hours. It is a journey that should last 15 minutes, “a woman told Spanish television RNE from her car.
The Red Cross brought food to truckers trapped on the A4 in Madrid.
“Due to adverse weather conditions, flights are diverted from Madrid Barajas Airport. Check with your airline to find out the status of your flight, ”said Aena, which controls the country’s airports in a tweet.
The Real Madrid football team, headed to Pamplona for a match against the league’s rival, Osasuna, waited for more than two hours on the plane at Madrid airport.
With snow forecasts of up to 20 cm (8 inches) in 24 hours and temperatures hovering around zero degrees Celsius, the south of the Madrid region was on the highest alert level for the first time since the system was created in 2007.
The capital’s large parks, including the Retiro next to the Prado Museum, were closed as a precaution.
“I went out to see and enjoy the snow. There is very little else to do these days (due to the pandemic), ”said Juan Jose, 24, a marketing executive, outside Retiro Park.
High-speed rail services between Madrid and the southeastern cities of Alicante and Valencia were suspended.
A record temperature of -35.6C was recorded in Vega de Lourdes, in León, in northern Spain, according to the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet).
Troops from the Military Emergency Unit were helping to clear roads and infrastructure across the country, the defense ministry said.
“Maybe we should go back to the snowfall of February 1984 or the snowfall of March 1971 to find similar precedents if the forecasts we expect are correct,” said Ruben del Campo, Aemet spokesman.
Report by Graham Keeley Emma Pinedo and Cristina Sanchez, edited by Andrei Khalip, Gareth Jones, Andrew Heavens, David Gregorio and Sonya Hepinstall