ClimavisoStorm Bárbara: wind in Castilla y León, Castilla - La Mancha and elsewhere, 20–21 October 2020
20 October 2020 to 21 October 2020. Updated 26 October 2026.
AEMET named this storm Bárbara on 18 October 2020.
Over 2 days, 44 of Spain's 182 warning zones had an orange or red warning for wind: 78 zone-days at orange or red, 5 of them red. The day with the most zones at orange or red was 20 October, with 44 zones.
20 October was the day with the most people in zones under an orange or red warning: 11.5 million people live there (INE municipal register, 2025).
How it compares
- It is number 45 of 119 episodes since June 2018 by zone-days at orange or red.
- Among the 26 wind episodes, it is number 8.
- There hadn't been a wind episode this widespread since February 2020.
Day by day
| Day | Red | Orange | Yellow | Orange or red warnings for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 20 October | 5 | 39 | 55 | wind, rain |
| Wed 21 October | — | 34 | 38 | wind, rain |
Zones with a warning each day, at their highest level that day.
The zones
And 55 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 177 km/h gust at Cerler, Cogulla (Pirineo oscense) on 21 October.
| Zone | Strongest gust |
|---|---|
| Pirineo oscense | 177 km/h Cerler, Cogulla · 21 October |
| Valle de Arán | 167 km/h Cap de Vaquèira · 21 October |
| Liébana | 146 km/h Mirador del Cable, Parque Nacional Picos de Europa · 21 October |
| Ibérica riojana | 139 km/h Enciso · 21 October |
| Sistema Central de Segovia | 134 km/h Puerto de Navacerrada · 20 October |
| Sistema Central de Soria | 125 km/h Liceras · 20 October |
| Gipuzkoa interior | 122 km/h Ordizia · 20 October |
| Sistema Central de Salamanca | 111 km/h El Maíllo · 20 October |
| Centro de Navarra | 107 km/h Larraga · 20 October |
| Centro y valle de Villaverde | 107 km/h Alto Campoo · 20 October |
| Cordillera Cantábrica de Palencia | 107 km/h Velilla del Río Carrión, Camporredondo de Alba · 20 October |
| Cordillera y Picos de Europa | 107 km/h Sotres, Parque Nacional Picos de Europa · 20 October |
| Oeste de La Palma | 106 km/h Roque de los Muchachos · 20 October |
| Metropolitana y Henares | 104 km/h Madrid Aeropuerto · 20 October |
| Pirineo navarro | 102 km/h Valcarlos/luzaide · 20 October |
| Valle del Tajo | 101 km/h Toledo · 20 October |
| Andévalo y Condado | 99 km/h Alosno, Tharsis · 20 October |
| Llanada alavesa | 97 km/h Agurain/salvatierra, Opakua · 20 October |
| Sistema Central de Ávila | 94 km/h Muñotello · 20 October |
| Ibérica de Soria | 93 km/h San Pedro Manrique · 21 October |
And 24 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 red warning reached 5 zone-days, and AEMET always issued it for the current hour: warnings are also raised as things unfold. The first warning of any level for those same days had come a median 3 days earlier.
| Zone | Day | First warning | Red issued | For · notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norte de Cáceres | Tue 20 | Sat 17 Oct, 23:50 yellow | 20:38 | 20:00 · for the current hour |
| Sistema Central de Salamanca | Tue 20 | Sat 17 Oct, 23:50 yellow | 20:39 | 20:00 · for the current hour |
| Sistema Central de Ávila | Tue 20 | Sat 17 Oct, 23:50 yellow | 20:39 | 20:00 · for the current hour |
| Sur de Salamanca | Tue 20 | Sat 17 Oct, 23:50 yellow | 20:39 | 20:00 · for the current hour |
| Sur de Ávila | Tue 20 | Sat 17 Oct, 23:50 yellow | 20:39 | 20:00 · for the current hour |
The full timeline: 132 changes at orange or red
Only the changes involving red are listed: there were 132 in all.
Tue 20 October
- Norte de Cáceres: Raises the rain warning to red: Tuesday 20, 21:00–24:00. Up to 120 mm in 12 h.
- Sistema Central de Salamanca, Sistema Central de Ávila, Sur de Salamanca, Sur de Ávila: Raises the rain warning to red: Tuesday 20, 21:00–24:00. Up to 120 mm in 12 h.
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.
← Previous episode · All episodes · Next episode → · 2020 warnings review