(Newser)
– An unusual and persistent blizzard that the Mayor of Madrid is calling “the worst storm in 80 years” has covered large parts of Spain with snow, freezing traffic and leaving thousands trapped in cars or at train stations and airports that they have suspended all services like snow continued to fall on Saturday. The capital and other parts of central Spain activated for the first time a red weather alert, the highest, and called on the military to rescue people from vehicles trapped in everything from small roads to the city’s main thoroughfares, according to the AP. National weather agency AEMET warned that some regions would receive more than 24 hours of continuous snow due to the strange combination of a stagnant cold air mass over the Iberian Peninsula and the arrival of the hottest Filomena storm in the south. AEMET said that up to 20 centimeters of snow can accumulate in large parts of the country, but the increase reaches more than 19 centimeters, even in urban areas.
Carlos Novillo, head of the Madrid emergency agency, said more than 1,000 vehicles were trapped. “The situation continues … at high risk. This is a very complex phenomenon and a critical situation,” Novillo posted on Saturday morning on social media. “We ask all those who remain in prison to be patient, we will reach you.” Airport operator AENA said Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas International Airport, the country’s main entry and exit door, would remain closed all day after the blizzard defeated machines and workers trying to keep the runways free of snow. All trains entering and leaving Madrid, as well as rail lines between the south and northeast of the country, have been suspended, said railway operator Renfe. The storm is expected to move northeast over Saturday, AEMET said.
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