Orange storm alert shuts schools in Alicante province

According to Moncloa.com, AEMET has placed the provinces of Valencia, Castellón and Alicante on orange alert for intense rain and thunderstorms from Thursday 1 October 2026, and is forecasting up to 160 l/m² in 12 hours. The site adds that totals could reach 200 l/m² over 24 hours if storms stall over the same spot. Moncloa.com also reported that a move to red level was being considered, depending on AEMET's call. At the time of writing, none of the outlets we checked had confirmed that upgrade, so if you live in the area, keep an eye on official AEMET updates.

The number of school closures depends on who you read. Moncloa.com reports that more than 30 schools suspended classes across Thursday and Friday, and that around ten municipalities announced closures. todoalicante.es is more precise: citing the Conselleria de Educación, it lists ten Alicante municipalities that suspended classes on Friday 2 October (Xaló, Orba, Pedreguer, Ràfol d'Almúnia, Benimeli, Gata de Gorgos, l'Orxa, Beniarrés, Xàbia and Santa Pola), affecting 11,960 pupils. The same outlet notes that in the five Marina Alta towns on that list, classes stay suspended until the alert ends, and that the orange warning was due to be lifted on the northern coast from midday on Friday. It also quotes the University of Alicante's Climatology Laboratory, which warns that rainfall will be very uneven from one area to the next, with a risk of flash floods (crecidas súbitas) where the heaviest downpours hit.

Town halls have gone further than closing schools. Santa Pola's own announcement says its emergency committee (CECOPAL), acting on a mayoral decree, closed schools, institutes and private nurseries for Friday. It also shut parks, gardens and municipal sports facilities, cancelled public events, and banned parking in flood-prone areas and the dumping of bulky waste. COPE's local coverage in Dénia shows a different approach: classes stayed open there, but the town called off all outdoor municipal activities from 2pm on Thursday, cancelled the La Vía market on Friday and the Fira Dénia Stock fair on Saturday, banned parking in the San Andrés neighbourhood, and set up extra local and national police for the night plus a Civil Protection team from 4pm. COPE also reports that Xàbia convened its own CECOPAL to coordinate prevention measures and keep people's journeys to a minimum.

Why is this trending across Spain? Autumn storms on the Valencian coast are a sensitive subject nationally, and this episode hit an entire region at once and disrupted schooling for thousands of families. According to Moncloa.com, the Generalitat's emergency department, coordinated by Juan Carlos Valderrama, is following the situation and had scheduled a follow-up meeting, with its timing dependent on any move to red alert. If you live in the affected area, the practical advice from the town halls is the same everywhere: avoid unnecessary travel, stay away from riverbeds and flood-prone parking areas, and check your own municipality's channels before heading out.

Sources : Moncloa.com, todoalicante.es, Ayuntamiento de Santa Pola, COPE, Google Trends.