What is it about?
The article, written in Spanish and published in Ciudad y Territorio Estudios Territoriales, analyzes records of extremely intense rainfall events in Barcelona collected from a network of 23 urban stations over a 16‑year period (1994–2009). The article, written in Spanish and published in Ciudad y Territorio Estudios Territoriales, analyzes extreme rainfall events in the city of Barcelona, using high-frequency (5-minute interval) data from 23 urban weather stations collected between 1994 and 2009. The authors focus on identifying the most severe rainfall episodes—those lasting longer than 60 minutes, exceeding 25 mm of accumulated rain, and ranking above the 95th percentile in intensity. From this, 29 extreme records are extracted and grouped into seven major episodes, mostly occurring between late July and October. These storms are characterized by intense convective activity and are typically associated with easterly wind patterns. Some of these events caused significant flash flooding that disrupted transportation networks, utility services, and other key urban functions in Barcelona.
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Why is it important?
This study is important because it shows how the city’s highly impermeable surfaces—about 80% of the ground—cannot absorb such large volumes of water in short periods. This makes Barcelona especially vulnerable to flash floods during short but extreme storms. The findings highlight that current drainage systems may not be adequately designed for these increasingly frequent high-intensity events, which exceed historical expectations and planning criteria.
Perspectives
Looking ahead, the study suggests that urban areas like Barcelona must rethink how they manage stormwater in a changing climate. Perspectives for future work include developing early warning systems tailored to short, intense convective storms; updating urban drainage infrastructure to account for new intensity thresholds; and applying this type of fine-scale rainfall analysis to other Mediterranean cities facing similar risks. These results also encourage policymakers to integrate extreme event scenarios into climate adaptation and resilience planning for urban environments.
Dr María del Carmen Casas-Castillo
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · BarcelonaTech
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Episodios de intensidad extrema de precipitación en Barcelona: riesgo de inundaciones súbitas, December 2019, Iniciativa Digital Politecnica,
DOI: 10.5821/ctv.8315.
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