Heavy rains caused rivers in the Pyrenees to flood and the Torla pass was cut off

The heavy rain that fell in the Pyrenees throughout Thursday, up to 100 liters per square meter, is the reason channels of rivers such as Ara and Cinca in the Sobrarbe region were forced to cut off the path as the ravines overflowed. Today’s downpours add to the storms that lashed the northern Commonwealth last week. In a place in the valley of Pineta (Bielsa), more than 500 liters per square meter have been collected.

One of the affected towns is Torla, where the Guardia Civil, as a precautionary measure, closed the road from the A-135 highway to the Bujaruelo valley, next to Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park, where waterfalls and water channels descend very fast. Both ravines overflowed and flooded the road leading to the refuge of Bujaruelo.

The entrance to the Glera bridge has been cut off again. in Torla, a detour that goes down to the river near the center of town, explained the mayor, Jesús Lardiés. “There are ravines that have overflowed, and there is a danger of landslides on the way to Bujaruelo because it happened a few days ago,” he commented.

The Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park have especially noticed the heavy rains, and its waterways are slowing down in ways not seen in a long time, workers from the protected area explained. This morning, visitors were diverted along the Umbría road because the track was flooded near Cotatuero.

In the Cinca River, the Lafortunada gauging station has exceeded the yellow level threshold and is approaching orange, with 3 meters high and more than 200 m3/s flow, according to the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation, of which this avenue is guarded. Other rivers, such as the Aragón, as it passes through Canfranc, also fall rapidly.

Sources from the 112 emergency service commented that they received calls about falling trees and cables in the Cinca area. In addition, in Sallent de Gállego, water is released from the Búbal and Lanuza dams.

The rain is very heavy throughout the Pyrenees. Until seven o’clock in the afternoon, 97 liters were collected in Torla and more than 100 in the valley of Pineta, at the head of Cinca. According to Aemet, other points with heavy rain are Astún (97 liters), Bielsa (93), Canfranc (80), or Biescas (72).

These rains are added to those recorded in recent days due to the passage of hurricanes Aline and Bernard. Since last Thursday, the stations located in the valleys of Pineta, Espierba, and Monte Perdido (in the national park of Bielsa) have added about 500 liters per square meter.

Cinca offers amazing pictures of the flood from its source in this valley, where the water level exceeded a temporary canal bridge. It also traveled to Devotas Gorge, near Lafortunada, where this week there was a landslide on the road due to heavy rains.