Alcanar, de la indefinición al elevado riesgo de inundaciones

Abstract

The Montsià region is the southernmost region of Catalonia (NE Spain), located between the final stretch of the Ebro River and the Senia River, and crossed by a relatively high mountain range (764 m.a.s.l), very close to the coastline and parallel to the same, in which numerous steep torrents are born. Most of these cross highly populated areas, mainly tourist and summer resorts, with high vulnerability to flooding. The municipality of Alcanar is a clear example of this situation. Thus, between 1980 and 2020, 42 episodes of flooding were recorded in the Montsià region, of which 21 caused significant damage in this municipality. They are usually a consequence of very convective and high-intensity precipitation, which, due to its local and sudden nature, is difficult to predict. The recent flood events of October 2018, September 2021 and 2023 are good examples. The aim of this work is the analysis of the three events, as well as the characterization of the frequency and possible trends in heavy rainfall events, in basis to precipitation data at daily and sub-daily scale.