Something we all expoerience from time to time in Spain are the dreaded Gota Fria. The Cost Rider has run an article about what to do if your unlucky enough to end up driving through one.
They also give very sound advice on what to do if your in an underground car park and a heavy rain storm or Gota Fria starts. Something which I had never considered to be a life threatening experience myself until having read the following article.
Quote:
Driving with Heavy Rain
During last month in an earlier edition of CoastRider we publicised the campaign the Club Torrevieja Classics & Specialists Cars are running to help people drive safely in Spain. One of the topics that are dealt with is ‘Driving in Heavy rain’ particularly appropriate over the recent past when we have experienced some torrential downpours and here in the Torrevieja area we have been luckier than many others judging by the pictures that have been seen on the national Spanish news and in the newspapers.
The forecast for the rest of the autumn at the moment is for more rain which could again be heavy and extremely localised and the usual warnings about the possibility of a Gota Fria are around. The persistent rain we experienced over more than a week was caused by a weather system remaining almost static caught between two pressure systems neither of which was giving way and one of the characteristics of the rain that fell was just how localised it was.
In Sueca near Valencia they had 330 litres of water and mud in a few hours with some houses having over a metre of silt and water in the house, yet only 2 kilometres away there was no rain at all!
David Hudson from the Club Torrevieja Classics & Specialists Cars who has organised the information that is contained in the club’s information sheets told us of some of his personal experiences in the recent storms.
‘On one day I experienced 42 litres of rain in Elche in a half an hour with half a metre of water on parts of the road and mud sliding into the road but only a few kilometres away in Crevillente there was no rain. The Club Torrevieja members travelled to the Ermita which is the traveller’s roadside church cut into the mountain in Calasparra in the Region of Murcia. The day was hot and sunny when we set out but on the way back over the mountain descending to Murcia the bad weather coming from Albacete, which the rest of Spain was experiencing, caught up with the Club.
Visibility was almost nil as large hail stones hit the cars with a deafening noise. The tarmac is designed to cope with very hot weather and at best is difficult in wet weather but add the ice and it became very dangerous.
Cars slowed down with hazards lights on and the old cars found protection with the larger cars around them. Everyone kept away from the edge of the motorway where there was a drop to the bottom of the valley. The water was rushing over the edge like a waterfall.
The hail and rain stopped as dramatically as it had started. As visibility returned with the hot sun the drivers realised how dangerous it had been. In other parts of Spain people had died.’
The rain can start very suddenly and because of the volume of water that can fall out of the sky in a very short period of time the situation can become very nasty very quickly.
The Club Torrevieja holds their meetings on the first Wednesday of each month in the Cafeteria Club Marina in the International Marina of Torrevieja starting at 7.30 pm. The Club meeting in October will have speakers talking about changing their registration to Spanish and in November a Guardia Trafico officer will give a talk on what experience the Guardia has with foreigners and advice on driving in Spain.
The Club Torrevieja publishes a specific information sheet on driving in heavy rain and you can get hold of one by attending any of the club’s monthly meetings.
But in the meantime put some wet weather gear in the car such as something to keep you warm as rain can reduce the outside temperature rapidly. Also pack something to keep the rain off, get your ‘wellies’ out as nothing else will be any good in a foot of water. Check that your car lights, brakes, wipers and washers are in good working order and keep the tyres at the correct pressure with a good tread. David added, ‘The Valencian Government gave out advice 20 years ago which still holds good now and that is the car does not make a good boat. If you have a garage under the house, get the car out as two foot of water can quickly fill the space. If you are in an underground car park get out quickly even without your car if necessary as earlier this year someone was drowned because the water ingress was so rapid that making an exit was impossible. This is the most important thing to remember, that when it rains in Spain things happen quickly and your route to safely may have disappeared before you have acted.’
Any group who would like a talk on driving in Spain can contact David Hudson on [Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register] or phone 96 571 6360.
Paul Mutter |
Driving in heavy rain in Spain advice 
