ClimavisoStorms Jorge and Karine: wind across much of Spain, 29 February – 3 March 2020
29 February 2020 to 3 March 2020. Updated 26 October 2026.
AEMET named this storm Jorge on 27 February 2020. AEMET named this storm Karine on 29 February 2020. It coincides with storm León, named by Météo-France on 1 March 2020. It coincides with storm Myriam, named by Météo-France on 3 March 2020.
Over 4 days, 99 of Spain's 182 warning zones had an orange or red warning for wind: 158 zone-days at orange or red, 0 of them red. The day with the most zones at orange or red was 2 March, with 87 zones.
2 March was the day with the most people in zones under an orange or red warning: 18 million people live there (INE municipal register, 2025).
How it compares
- It is number 19 of 119 episodes since June 2018 by zone-days at orange or red.
- Among the 26 wind episodes, it is number 2.
Day by day
| Day | Red | Orange | Yellow | Orange or red warnings for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 29 February | — | 10 | 26 | wind |
| Sun 1 March | — | 45 | 15 | wind |
| Mon 2 March | — | 87 | 59 | wind, snow |
| Tue 3 March | — | 16 | 86 | wind, snow |
Zones with a warning each day, at their highest level that day.
The zones
And 51 more zones with yellow warnings only.
What AEMET's stations measured
The most measured in the zones with an orange or red warning, on their warning days: a 176 km/h gust at Valdezcaray (Ibérica riojana) on 2 March.
| Zone | Strongest gust |
|---|---|
| Ibérica riojana | 176 km/h Valdezcaray · 2 March |
| Bizkaia litoral | 174 km/h Matxitxako · 3 March |
| Cordillera Cantábrica de Palencia | 160 km/h Velilla del Río Carrión, Camporredondo de Alba · 2 March |
| Sierra Tramontana | 153 km/h Sierra de Alfabia, Bunyola · 3 March |
| Sistema Central de Segovia | 149 km/h La Pinilla, Estación de Esquí · 2 March |
| Oeste de A Coruña | 145 km/h Fisterra · 29 February |
| Pirineo oscense | 136 km/h Cerler, Cogulla · 3 March |
| Bajo Aragón de Teruel | 132 km/h Andorra, Horcallana · 2 March |
| Noroeste de A Coruña | 131 km/h Estaca de Bares · 1 March |
| Sistema Central de Salamanca | 131 km/h La Covatilla, Estación de Esquí · 1 March |
| Meseta de Burgos | 128 km/h Villadiego · 2 March |
| Meseta de Salamanca | 128 km/h Barbadillo · 2 March |
| Meseta de Soria | 123 km/h Burgo de Osma · 2 March |
| Gipuzkoa litoral | 122 km/h Mutriku · 3 March |
| Litoral oriental asturiano | 122 km/h Cabo Peñas · 2 March |
| Meseta de Zamora | 121 km/h Villadepera · 2 March |
| Sistema Central de Soria | 121 km/h Liceras · 2 March |
| Sistema Central de Ávila | 121 km/h Muñotello · 3 March |
| Suroccidental asturiana | 119 km/h Taramundi, Ouria · 29 February |
| Gúdar y Maestrazgo | 118 km/h Castellote · 2 March |
And 79 more zones with an orange or red warning.
For each zone, the highest value its AEMET stations measured on the episode's warning days (the lowest, for the low temperature), with the station and the day. Rain from 07:00 to 07:00 UTC; gust: the day's strongest. It is what the zone's stations measured, not every town, and a measurement, like a warning, is not damage.
How AEMET's warnings unfolded
The orange warning reached 158 zone-days. AEMET issued it ahead of time in 150 of them (median: 12 h) and for the current hour in the other 8: warnings are also raised as things unfold. The first warning of any level for those same days had come a median 18 h earlier.
| Zone | Day | First warning | Orange issued | For · notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Mariña | Sat 29 | Wed 26 Feb, 23:50 orange | Wed 26 Feb, 23:50 | 00:00 · 48 h before |
| Centro de Lugo | Sat 29 | Wed 26 Feb, 23:50 orange | Wed 26 Feb, 23:50 | 00:00 · 48 h before |
| Interior de A Coruña | Sat 29 | Wed 26 Feb, 23:50 orange | Wed 26 Feb, 23:50 | 00:00 · 48 h before |
| Interior de Pontevedra | Sat 29 | Wed 26 Feb, 23:50 orange | Wed 26 Feb, 23:50 | 00:00 · 48 h before |
| Liébana | Sat 29 | Wed 26 Feb, 23:50 orange | Wed 26 Feb, 23:50 | 00:00 · 48 h before |
| Montaña de Lugo | Sat 29 | Wed 26 Feb, 23:50 orange | Wed 26 Feb, 23:50 | 00:00 · 48 h before |
| Noroeste de A Coruña | Sat 29 | Wed 26 Feb, 23:50 orange | Wed 26 Feb, 23:50 | 00:00 · 48 h before |
| Oeste de A Coruña | Sat 29 | Wed 26 Feb, 23:50 orange | Wed 26 Feb, 23:50 | 00:00 · 48 h before |
| Rias Baixas | Sat 29 | Wed 26 Feb, 23:50 orange | Wed 26 Feb, 23:50 | 00:00 · 48 h before |
| Suroeste de A Coruña | Sat 29 | Wed 26 Feb, 23:50 orange | Wed 26 Feb, 23:50 | 00:00 · 48 h before |
| Norte de Burgos | Sun 1 | Fri 28 Feb, 11:30 orange | Fri 28 Feb, 11:30 | 09:00 · 46 h before |
| Sierra de Madrid | Sun 1 | 11:07 orange | 11:07 | 23:00 · 12 h before |
| Ibérica riojana | Sun 1 | Fri 28 Feb, 11:30 yellow | 11:29 | 18:00 · 7 h before |
| Ibérica de Burgos | Sun 1 | Fri 28 Feb, 11:30 yellow | 11:30 | 18:00 · 6 h before |
| Ibérica de Soria | Sun 1 | Fri 28 Feb, 11:30 yellow | 11:30 | 18:00 · 6 h before |
And 143 more zone-days.
The full timeline: 207 changes at orange or red
Only the changes involving red are listed: there were 207 in all.
AEMET's issue times, in mainland Spain time (Canary Islands in island time). Notice is the time from issue to the first hour the warning covered; a warning issued “for the current hour” runs from the hour it is published.
What this says and what it doesn't
A warning is an AEMET forecast, not a measurement or a damage report: it says a threshold is expected to be exceeded in a zone. A warning is not damage; a zone is not a building.
A zone-day is one warning zone with a warning on one day. Ten zones at orange on the same day make ten zone-days. A day with several warnings in one zone counts once, at its highest level.
Each zone has its own thresholds, so an orange heat warning in Asturias doesn't mean the same temperature as in Córdoba. More in how warnings work.
To cite: “Climaviso, from AEMET warnings”.
Source: official AEMET warnings, collected by Climaviso since June 2018.
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