The Government Delegation in Madrid recommends the inhabitants of the capital to work from home and avoid traveling while there is a risk of flooding, unless it is completely necessary. Those planning to travel by car or bus after their last working day of the week should take into account the precautionary measures being taken on the road.
In Madrid, the weather situation is especially affecting the vicinity of the Guadarrama and Manzanares rivers, which have experienced a significant increase in their flows in a matter of seven days (to the point of threatening to overflow). In order to avoid accidents due to the rains, the Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT) published this morning -at 9:19 a.m. on Friday, March 21- that there may be cuts in the M-215 (Ambite) and the M-622 (La Jarosa – Guadarrama).
In addition, two intercity bus lines bound for the sierra will suspend their service; lines 691 (Madrid-Valdesquí) and 692 (Los Molinos-Cercedilla-Valdesquí) have confirmed that they will not run during the weekend. The authorities remind that the mountains could register up to 40 liters per square meter in 12 hours.
On the other hand, the Madrid City Council has assured that “a special device has been put in place which includes traffic management measures in view of the possibility of precipitation” and has recommended citizens to “limit as much as possible the circulation in private vehicles”.
Although private transport companies such as Alsa or Cevesa have not given news about cancellations or incidents in their services, the DGT assures that the cuts “will affect any type of vehicle” during the squall.
Spain on yellow alert
Madrid is one of the 16 autonomous communities on yellow alert due to the Martinho squall. One of the most affected by the rains is Castilla y León: Ávila, Palencia, Salamanca, Segovia, León and Zamora are expecting accumulations of 15-20 liters in one hour. At the moment, the DGT has announced cuts in the N-403 (Avila) and the road SG-V-3131 (Segovia).