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A storm in Spain, Filomena, claimed three lives and military first responders and snowplows rescued 2,500 drivers stuck on the road all Saturday.
The storm also brought heavy rains before moving through eastern Spain into southern France.
The Spanish Meteorological Service, AEMET, forecast severe cold in much of Spain at night from Sunday to Monday. In mountainous areas, temperatures will drop below minus 10 degrees Celsius, and such conditions could last until Thursday, the agency added.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said on Sunday that the danger is that snowdrifts freeze due to record low temperatures.
Still, despite weather conditions, the minister said, the country’s coronavirus vaccination campaign will proceed as planned, with another 350,000 doses expected to be delivered on Monday.
Snowplows were working the streets of Madrid on Sunday and Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida said not a minute could be lost.
“Our goal is to use every minute until Monday when the temperature starts to drop,” JL Martínez-Almeida told Sexta on Saturday night.
“Later, at the end of the week, it will be very difficult to clean,” he added.
In Madrid, the soldiers received the help of volunteers
The capital Madrid and the surrounding region have become one of the areas most affected by snow, and the amount of snow is at its highest level since 1971.
Troops had to clear the snow at Madrid airport, one of the areas hardest hit by the blizzard, where flights have been canceled since Friday night. Flights are scheduled to resume no earlier than Sunday afternoon.
Volunteers helped soldiers clear the roads at city hospitals, which still treat many people with coronavirus.
“We are aware of the importance of guaranteeing that access is free,” said Félix Sánchez, a 52-year-old from Madrid, who helped remove the snow from the entrance to the Gregorio Maronon Hospital.
While some worked, others lined up at bakeries and various supermarkets to buy supplies before the temperature dropped. Other residents took the opportunity to ski.
A few inches of snow fell in the Spanish capital and much of the country on Friday and Saturday.
On Sunday morning, the government said that more than 700 main routes remained impassable and that train travel to and from Madrid was also canceled at least until Sunday afternoon.
The capital’s municipality has closed the city’s schools, colleges and universities until at least Wednesday.
In addition to Madrid, the regions of Aragon, Valencia, Castilla-La Mancha and Catalonia were the most affected by the snow storms.
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