ClimavisoStorms Dora and Ernest: wind in Andalucía, Cantabria and elsewhere, 7–8 December 2020
7 December 2020 to 8 December 2020. Updated 26 October 2026.
AEMET named this storm Dora on 3 December 2020. AEMET named this storm Ernest on 7 December 2020.
Over 2 days, 13 of Spain's 182 warning zones had an orange or red warning for wind: 21 zone-days at orange or red, 0 of them red. The day with the most zones at orange or red was 7 December, with 11 zones.
7 December was the day with the most people in zones under an orange or red warning: 1.9 million people live there (INE municipal register, 2025).
How it compares
- It is number 116 of 119 episodes since June 2018 by zone-days at orange or red.
- Among the 26 wind episodes, it is number 25.
Day by day
| Day | Red | Orange | Yellow | Orange or red warnings for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 7 December | — | 11 | 76 | wind, snow |
| Tue 8 December | — | 10 | 69 | wind |
Zones with a warning each day, at their highest level that day.
The zones
| Zone | Province | Highest level | Warning days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alcaraz y Segura | Albacete | orange | 2 |
| Bizkaia litoral | Bizkaia | orange | 2 |
| Costa granadina | Granada | orange | 2 |
| Litoral cántabro | Cantabria | orange | 2 |
| Nacimiento y Campo de Tabernas | Almería | orange | 2 |
| Noroeste de Murcia | Murcia | orange | 2 |
| Poniente y Almería Capital | Almería | orange | 2 |
| Valle del Almanzora y Los Vélez | Almería | orange | 2 |
| Cordillera Cantábrica de León | León | orange | 2 |
| Interior norte de Castellón | Castelló/Castellón | orange | 2 |
| Pirineo navarro | Navarra | orange | 2 |
| Pirineo oscense | Huesca | orange | 2 |
| Prelitoral sur de Tarragona | Tarragona | orange | 1 |
And 93 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 129 km/h gust at Matxitxako (Bizkaia litoral) on 7 December.
| Zone | Strongest gust |
|---|---|
| Bizkaia litoral | 129 km/h Matxitxako · 7 December |
| Poniente y Almería Capital | 119 km/h Láujar de Andarax · 8 December |
| Valle del Almanzora y Los Vélez | 117 km/h Albox · 8 December |
| Cordillera Cantábrica de León | 107 km/h Puerto de San Isidro · 7 December |
| Interior norte de Castellón | 104 km/h La Pobla de Benifassà-Fredes · 8 December |
| Litoral cántabro | 103 km/h Santander · 7 December |
| Costa granadina | 90 km/h Castell de Ferro · 8 December |
| Noroeste de Murcia | 81 km/h Calasparra · 8 December |
| Pirineo oscense | 79 km/h Cerler, Cogulla · 8 December |
| Prelitoral sur de Tarragona | 79 km/h Rasquera · 8 December |
| Nacimiento y Campo de Tabernas | 56 km/h Abla · 8 December |
| Pirineo navarro | 41 km/h Valcarlos/luzaide · 7 December |
| Alcaraz y Segura | no reading |
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 21 zone-days. AEMET issued it ahead of time in 20 of them (median: 29 h) and for the current hour in the other 1: warnings are also raised as things unfold. The first warning of any level for those same days had come a median 12 h earlier.
| Zone | Day | First warning | Orange issued | For · notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cordillera Cantábrica de León | Mon 7 | Sat 5 Dec, 11:37 orange | Sat 5 Dec, 11:37 | 04:00 · 40 h before |
| Pirineo oscense | Mon 7 | Sat 5 Dec, 11:37 orange | Sat 5 Dec, 11:37 | 00:00 · 36 h before |
| Valle del Almanzora y Los Vélez | Mon 7 | Sat 5 Dec, 11:37 yellow | Sat 5 Dec, 22:59 | 09:00 · 34 h before |
| Noroeste de Murcia | Mon 7 | Sat 5 Dec, 11:37 yellow | Sun 6 Dec, 11:16 | 15:00 · 28 h before |
| Costa granadina | Mon 7 | Sat 5 Dec, 22:59 yellow | Sun 6 Dec, 11:22 | 18:00 · 31 h before |
| Nacimiento y Campo de Tabernas | Mon 7 | Sat 5 Dec, 22:59 yellow | Sun 6 Dec, 11:22 | 20:00 · 33 h before |
| Pirineo navarro | Mon 7 | Sat 5 Dec, 11:37 yellow | Sun 6 Dec, 21:51 | 00:00 · 2 h before |
| Bizkaia litoral | Mon 7 | Sun 6 Dec, 10:34 yellow | 08:16 | 15:00 · 7 h before |
| Litoral cántabro | Mon 7 | Sat 5 Dec, 11:37 yellow | 08:16 | 15:00 · 7 h before |
| Alcaraz y Segura | Mon 7 | Sat 5 Dec, 22:59 yellow | 08:52 | 12:00 · 3 h before |
| Poniente y Almería Capital | Mon 7 | Sat 5 Dec, 11:37 yellow | 21:49 | 21:00 · for the current hour |
| Costa granadina | Tue 8 | Sat 5 Dec, 23:50 yellow | Sun 6 Dec, 11:40 | 00:00 · 36 h before |
| Interior norte de Castellón | Tue 8 | Sat 5 Dec, 23:50 yellow | Sun 6 Dec, 11:40 | 05:00 · 41 h before |
| Nacimiento y Campo de Tabernas | Tue 8 | Sat 5 Dec, 23:50 yellow | Sun 6 Dec, 11:40 | 00:00 · 36 h before |
| Prelitoral sur de Tarragona | Tue 8 | Sat 5 Dec, 23:50 yellow | Sun 6 Dec, 11:40 | 05:00 · 41 h before |
And 6 more zone-days.
The full timeline: 29 changes at orange or red
Sat 5 December
- Cordillera Cantábrica de León: Issues a orange snow warning: Monday 7, 04:00–24:00. 25 cm of snow in 24 h.
- Pirineo oscense: Issues a orange snow warning: Monday 7, all day. 20 cm of snow in 24 h.
- Valle del Almanzora y Los Vélez: Raises the wind warning to orange: Monday 7, 09:00–24:00. Gusts up to 90 km/h.
Sun 6 December
- Cordillera Cantábrica de León: Shortens the orange snow warning: now until 08:00 on Monday 7. 25 cm of snow in 24 h.
- Noroeste de Murcia: Raises the wind warning to orange: Monday 7, 15:00–24:00. Gusts up to 90 km/h.
- Costa granadina: Raises the wind warning to orange: Monday 7, 18:00–24:00. Gusts up to 90 km/h.
- Nacimiento y Campo de Tabernas: Raises the wind warning to orange: Monday 7, 20:00–24:00. Gusts up to 90 km/h.
- Costa granadina, Nacimiento y Campo de Tabernas, Valle del Almanzora y Los Vélez: Raises the wind warning to orange: Tuesday 8, 00:00–18:00. Gusts up to 90 km/h.
- Interior norte de Castellón, Prelitoral sur de Tarragona: Raises the wind warning to orange: Tuesday 8, 05:00–14:00. Gusts up to 100 km/h.
- Pirineo navarro: Raises the snow warning to orange: Monday 7, 00:00–07:00. 20 cm of snow in 24 h.
- Interior norte de Castellón, Prelitoral sur de Tarragona: Brings the orange wind warning forward: now from 03:00 on Tuesday 8. Gusts up to 100 km/h.
- Noroeste de Murcia: Raises the wind warning to orange: Tuesday 8, 00:00–06:00. Gusts up to 90 km/h.
Mon 7 December
- Bizkaia litoral, Litoral cántabro: Raises the wind warning to orange: Monday 7, 15:00–24:00. Gusts up to 110 km/h.
- Alcaraz y Segura: Raises the wind warning to orange: Monday 7, 12:00–24:00. Gusts up to 90 km/h.
- Bizkaia litoral: Issues a orange wind warning: Tuesday 8, 00:00–03:00. Gusts up to 110 km/h.
- Litoral cántabro: Issues a orange wind warning: Tuesday 8, 00:00–02:00. Gusts up to 110 km/h.
- Alcaraz y Segura: Raises the wind warning to orange: Tuesday 8, 00:00–11:00. Gusts up to 90 km/h.
- Poniente y Almería Capital: Raises the wind warning to orange: Tuesday 8, 00:00–16:00. Gusts up to 90 km/h.
- Interior norte de Castellón, Prelitoral sur de Tarragona: Brings the orange wind warning forward: now from 00:00 on Tuesday 8. Gusts up to 100 km/h.
- Poniente y Almería Capital: Raises the wind warning to orange: Monday 7, 22:00–24:00. Gusts up to 90 km/h.
- Poniente y Almería Capital: Shortens the orange wind warning: now until 12:00 on Tuesday 8. Gusts up to 90 km/h.
- Valle del Almanzora y Los Vélez: Shortens the orange wind warning: now until 16:00 on Tuesday 8. Gusts up to 90 km/h.
- Noroeste de Murcia: Extends the orange wind warning: now until 08:00 on Tuesday 8. Gusts up to 90 km/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.
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