Powerful winds brought by Storm Nils were sweeping across Catalonia on Thursday, causing major disruption to transport networks and prompting widespread closures, as authorities urged residents to remain at home unless travel was absolutely necessary.
At least five people had been injured by 11am, according to local media. Among them was a Civil Protection volunteer who was seriously hurt when a tree collapsed in the town of Sant Boi de Llobregat.
In the same town, three municipal workers were injured while clearing fallen trees. One was taken to Barcelona’s Bellvitge Hospital in a stable condition, while the other two suffered minor injuries and were treated at Sant Boi Hospital.
Elsewhere, another person was injured in the coastal town of Vilassar de Mar after part of a wall collapsed.
On Wednesday, the regional Catalan government had announced that schools, universities, sporting activities and non-urgent healthcare services would be suspended on Thursday, sending out an alert about the severe winds to all residents’ mobile phones.
Officials have since reiterated calls for people to avoid travelling and to work from home wherever possible.
Unable to disembark at Barcelona Airport
Disruption has also hit air travel. At Barcelona Airport, at least 53 flights were cancelled and several others diverted, according to airport operator Aena.
Average wind speeds in the airport area were around 61 km/h, with gusts peaking at up to 92 km/h. The conditions were forecast to continue until at least 7pm.
One resident in Catalonia said that a friend who had arrived on an easyJet flight from the UK to Barcelona airport on Thursday morning was unable to disembark, as the flight crew said it was too windy. They announced that it was a ‘grade three wind’ and ‘too windy to connect the steps to the plane’ to let passengers off.
Vueling, one of the airport’s main airlines, said it was allowing passengers flexibility and free flight changes for services departing from or arriving in Barcelona and Palma (Mallorca) until 3 pm on Thursday.
Travellers have been advised to check the status of their flights before heading to the airport.
Rail Services Disrupted
Rail services were also heavily affected on Thursday morning. Catalonia’s Rodalies network suspended the R11 line between Girona and Maçanet-Massanes after a tree fell onto the tracks in Caldes de Malavella.
Along the coast, RENFE closed the R1 stations at Premià and Malgrat de Mar as a precaution due to concerns over overhead power lines.
Train services between Vilanova i la Geltrú and Cunit on the R2 Sud line were halted after obstacles were detected on the tracks.
Rail infrastructure manager Adif also reported that a large sheet of plastic landed on the R1 line, forcing the suspension of rail traffic between Pineda and Malgrat de Mar.
On the R4 line between Terrassa and Manresa, and on the R1 between Blanes and Maçanet, shuttle services were operating by bus only.
Rail disruptions in southern France have also led to the cancellation of train services from Barcelona to Paris and Lyon.
Gusts exceeding 100 km/h
Wind speeds surpassed 100 km/h at several locations across Catalonia between midnight and 8 am on Thursday.
The Catalan regional weather agency, Meteocat, reported that the strongest gust was measured at Puig Sesolles in the northern Vallès Oriental area, where winds reached 167 km/h.
Elsewhere, gusts of 105 km/h were recorded at the Port of Barcelona, 104 km/h in Mataró, 114 km/h in Molló (Ripollès), and 103 km/h in Font-rubí.
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🔴🚒ACTUALITZACIÓ serveis #VENTCAT 11h
— Bombers (@bomberscat) February 12, 2026
Entre les 10h i les 11h del matí, #bomberscat hem atès 382 avisos per vent.
Acumulats, des de la mitjanit, 1.252#RECentre 21#REGirona 60#RELleida 6#REMNord 422#REMSud 345#RETarragona 13#RETerresEbre 3 pic.twitter.com/Dk0tn9k3Fo
⭕ Dijous molt complicat a Catalunya pel fort vent 🌬️
✔️ A casa, retira de balcons i façanes tot allò que pugui caure
✔️ Evita els desplaçaments no imprescindibles, i si has de conduir extrema la prudència
✔️ Allunya’t d’arbres, grues i elements inestables
Alerta #VENTCAT pic.twitter.com/rglzCUqgAe
— Protecció civil (@emergenciescat) February 12, 2026
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