Chaos in Catalonia as storm cancels flights, floods roads and stops trains. First life claimed

Catalonia has been hit by major travel disruption after torrential rain brought flights, trains and roads to a standstill in parts of the region.

Barcelona-El Prat Airport was among the worst affected, with nearly 250 flights cancelled on Saturday, according to flight-tracking service Flightradar24. By 9pm, aviation monitoring account Trànsit Aeri de Catalunya said Barcelona-El Prat had the most flight disruption of any airport in the world, although flights were still ‘technically’ operating. Some passengers faced delays of more than four hours as heavy rain swept across the region. Girona Airport was also affected, with at least one Ryanair flight diverted to Barcelona after being unable to land in Girona.

Tormentas fuera de serie #barcdlona #españa https://t.co/WEX3VXMsGn

— noticias virales (@noticias_biral) October 4, 2026

The storm has also claimed its first life, with a man killed after a wall collapsed at a campsite in Tordera, in the Maresme area of Barcelona province. The incident happened as torrential rain and strong winds battered the Catalan coast, with the worst of the weather now moving towards Girona. Catalan president Salvador Illa expressed his condolences to the victim’s family and urged residents to remain extremely cautious as the dangerous conditions continue.

Roads flooded across Barcelona

The problems were not limited to airports. Heavy rainfall caused major problems on the road network, with traffic moving slowly and some roads flooded. Images shared on social media showed sections of Barcelona’s Ronda de Dalt covered by water, while several roads in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat were also affected. Drivers have been warned to avoid non-urgent journeys as the exceptional weather conditions continue.

La crescuda del riu Besòs arriba a l’alçada del pont del ferrocarril, per on passa el Rodalies a Sant Adrià, i s’acumulen canyes. Aquest pont va agreujar els efectes de la riuada del 1962 per la seva baixa alçada. Fa anys que es reclama a Adif que elevi l’alçada per evitar riscos https://t.co/XZLxXzj0zi

— Jordi Ribalaygue (@JRibalaygue) October 4, 2026

Trains stopped as flooding hits rail network

Rail passengers have also faced serious disruption. Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) suspended train services from 8pm on Saturday until 2pm on Sunday because of the weather. Barcelona Metro services were also affected, with several sections temporarily suspended during the afternoon. Water poured into stations including Sants and Sagrada Familia, while Barcelona’s Catalunya station was also affected by flooding. The Metro was due to stop operating at midnight before restarting at 5am on Sunday. Metropolitan bus services were also reduced overnight, while Nitbus services were suspended.

High-speed rail services were hit by widespread delays, with at least four trains reportedly stranded in the Camp de Tarragona area and two others stopped in Lleida and El Burgo de Ebro. The disruption left passengers facing lengthy delays as rail capacity was affected further south.

Aigua fins a la cintura en alguns punts del Baix Llobregat. La pluja ha deixat registres històrics, amb més de 200 litres a Barcelona i punts de l’àrea metropolitanahttps://t.co/zEVHgvmeWl pic.twitter.com/pOlUs5pVCh

— btv notícies (@btvnoticies) October 4, 2026

Emergency services deal with hundreds of calls

The scale of the storm was also reflected in the number of emergency calls. Catalonia’s 112 emergency telephone service had received 1,195 calls by 9pm on Saturday. Around 400 of those calls were related to flooding, mainly in the Barcelona metropolitan area.

The Emergency Medical System (SEM) had received 22 alerts linked to the rainfall. Most of those affected were reported not to have suffered serious injuries.

Barcelona Council had provided emergency accommodation for 93 people by 10pm, allowing them to spend the night away from the worst of the weather. Social emergency teams were also helping around 80 people stranded at Barcelona França and Sants stations because they were unable to get home.

Catalonia’s firefighters dealt with another 90 rain-related calls between 10pm and 11pm, taking the total number of incidents attended since 8pm to 178.

🔴 ACTUALITZACIÓ 07h

Entre les 07h i les 08h hem atès 109 avisos per #INUNCAT. Acumulats, des de l’inici de l’episodi, 1.068:#REMNord: 581#REMSud: 466#REGirona: 17

📷 Rescatem, il·lès, el conductor d’un vehicle atrapat per l’aigua a Granollers#bomberscat pic.twitter.com/mSagJyAEV2

— Bombers (@bomberscat) October 4, 2026

Residents told to stay at home

The disruption came as Catalonia remained under an exceptional weather alert. Interior minister Núria Parlon called on residents in the 20 worst-affected counties to stay at home and avoid any journeys that were not essential.

The Catalan Meteorological Service activated all of its available rainfall danger warnings, covering intense rainfall over 30 minutes and three hours, as well as accumulated rainfall over 24 hours. Forecasts suggested some areas could receive more than 200 litres of rain per square metre.

Authorities also warned of the possibility of a Mediterranean hurricane-type system, although the term refers to a powerful convective weather system rather than a conventional tropical hurricane.

With roads, railways and airports all affected, passengers travelling through Catalonia have been asked to check their transport operator before setting off and to avoid unnecessary travel while the worst conditions continue.