Multiple regions of the Iberian Peninsula are under maximum alert this Thursday, February 12, due to heavy rains and winds caused by high activity in the Atlantic, which leaves a trail of fallen trees, flooded regions, damage to transportation and serious injuries. The state response to the floods in Portugal led to the resignation of the Minister of the Interior, Maria Lúcia Amaral.
First modification: 02/12/2026 - 19:59 Last modification: 02/12/2026 - 20:17
Galicia, Cantabria, the Basque Country and Catalonia, four regions in northern Spain, woke up on alert this Thursday, February 12, after the arrival on Wednesday of Storm Nils, the eighth to hit the country this winter, according to the national government.
On the Cantabrian coast and the Basque coasts, waves of several meters have been recorded, which have forced the preventive closure of some promenades and minor ports.
The forecast of the Spanish State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) predicts for this Thursday strong or very strong gusts of wind in the center and east of the country, followed by widespread heavy rains on Friday and, on Saturday, precipitation in the north, with snowfall at low levels and very strong gusts of wind that will descend to the east of the country and the Balearic Islands.
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Serious hospitalized in Catalonia
Catalonia has been the region in Spain hardest hit this Thursday by adverse weather, with at least 86 injured, one of them in critical condition after a falling tree. In addition, Barcelona reported two seriously injured people in separate events, one due to the collapse of the roof of a business and another due to the fall of a street lamp, a statement from the local government states.
In some Catalan regions, the storm forced the closure of schools and the suspension of non-essential activities, including health, so the civil protection services sent an emergency alert to citizens' phones with the request to stay at home and avoid unnecessary trips.
In addition, strong gusts of wind have at times interrupted the movement of trains between Madrid and Barcelona, amid the still latent consternation over a pair of train accidents in January, in the middle of the storm, which caused the death of a train driver and dozens of injuries.
More than a hundred flights to and from Barcelona's El Prat airport have been cancelled, according to the airport operator Aena on the social network X, where it expressed confidence that conditions would improve throughout the day.
By midday on Thursday, the Catalan emergency services had received around 4,500 calls.
This week, the Council of Ministers declared “areas affected by a civil protection emergency” to the territories hit by 76 catastrophic episodes between November 10, 2025 and February 9, 2026 throughout the national territory, mostly caused by high-impact storms.
Read also “It has rained more than twice as much as normal in Spain”: the AEMET warns of extreme rain and snowfall
Portugal, on alert before the Mondego River dam
On the other side of the Iberian border, the Portuguese regions of Vila Real, Bragança and Porto are under a yellow warning for rain and wind, with a special impact on mountain areas.
At the same time, Portugal's Civil Protection remains on alert this Thursday in the Mondego River basin, which yesterday overflowed after the breakage of a dam near the medieval city of Coimbra, in the center of the country, with the Aguieira reservoir at 99.1% of its capacity.
As a result of that breakage, a part of the A1 highway, which links the north and south of Portugal, collapsed on Wednesday night. The Portuguese Infrastructure Minister, Miguel Pinto Luz, estimated in a press conference that the restoration of the affected section would take weeks, since repairs will begin once the flood waters recede.
The capacity of the Aguieira reservoir, on the Mondego river, near Coimbra, is at 99%, which increases the probability of flooding on the banks of the tributary if the authorities are forced to increase discharges.
A meteorological phenomenon known as an "atmospheric river" – a wide corridor of concentrated water vapor that transports enormous amounts of moisture from the tropics – caused new rains in Portugal on Thursday, mainly affecting the northern regions, where some 3,000 residents have been evacuated since Wednesday.
Storm Oriana, an Atlantic depression approaching the north of the peninsula, is expected to cause heavy rain and winds in most of the Portuguese country during Thursday and Friday, according to forecasts from the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA).
For weeks, Portugal has seen flooding, landslides and power outages, as well as significant damage to infrastructure in several regions of the country after multiple storms.
Between January 28 and February 8, depressions Kristin, Leonardo and Marta have left at least fifteen dead in Portugal – including indirect victims – and 11,957 incidents registered by the National Emergency Authority, according to official figures.
Portuguese Interior Minister resigns
The storm also caused damage to the central government, after Maria Lúcia Amaral, Portugal's Interior Minister, resigned on Wednesday, amid criticism of her response to the winter emergency.
The official became the first cabinet member to resign since Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro came to power in May 2025.
The president's office announced the decision in a statement explaining that Amaral felt he "no longer possessed the personal and political conditions necessary to hold the office." The Portuguese prime minister will temporarily assume his position, according to the document.
Amaral has drawn criticism from local governments and opponents since the passage of Storm Kristin at the end of January, the deadliest of the last three that have hit Portugal.
With EFE, Reuters and AP
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