Storm Bruna Forces Evacuation in Spain as AEMET Issues Red Wind Warning for La Palma
Spain's State Meteorological Agency, AEMET, issued a red wind warning for La Palma, in the Canary Islands, at 10:44 UTC Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, forecasting gusts up to 130 km/h — as of 16:00 UTC on Nov. 10, 2026, when this warning was last confirmed on AEMET's site — as storm Bruna, called Charles by Portugal's weather service, IPMA, approached the Iberian Peninsula. The warning covers the island's summits and its northwest- and southeast-facing slopes, and it runs from 03:00 to 11:59 UTC Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026.
The warning tells residents to take precautions, stay alert and follow official guidance, and it warns that extreme or catastrophic damage to people and property is possible, especially in exposed or vulnerable areas. AEMET also issued an orange-level coastal warning for the Huelva coast in southwestern Spain, forecasting south or southwest winds of 50 to 74 km/h and seas combined up to 6 meters, from noon to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, local time — also confirmed on AEMET's site as of 16:00 UTC on Nov. 10, 2026.
elDiario.es reported, as of 08:49 UTC on Nov. 10, 2026, that about 3,000 people, including 66 residents of a care home, were evacuated from Piedralaves, in Avila province in western Spain, after Protección Civil sent an emergency alert over fears that the Horcajo dam could overflow in storm Bruna's heavy rain. They were relocated to the nearby town of El Tiemblo and the city of Avila, per the national government's sub-delegation in the province, the outlet said, adding that the Civil Guard reinforced its presence in the area. In Extremadura, elDiario.es reported, the regional government suspended all school activity for Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, citing a red-level warning for Caceres province and the risk of hurricane-force winds, and raised its civil-protection plan to its first operational level.
RTP and Observador reported that Portugal's government declared a national alert over the same storm, which it calls Charles, and ordered schools and non-essential public services closed on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. CNN Portugal reported that Portugal's civil-protection agency, Proteção Civil, activated its maximum readiness level nationwide, with crews prepared to pump floodwater and clear roads, and that officials warned of possible power and communications outages.
