Asturias welcomes springtime today with snow and temperatures 15 degrees below average

Temperatures below zero in the mountain areas, snow in the mountain ports, avalanches, cut roads, bitter wind gusts in the interior, hail and sleet in the coast€ It had been years since springtime (it starts today at a quarter past five in the afternoon) did not arrive to Asturias with such low temperatures, between 10 and 15 degrees below average at these dates. And the storm will intensify even more in the following hours. But it will not last long, until tomorrow. The meteorologists foresee a rainy and fresh end-of-March stretch. However, they expect a radical change for April and May, which will be drier than usual. Nevertheless, the snow would remain in Asturias mountains for longer than in previous years, as temperatures will go back to "their usual" standards for this time of the year, unlike in the case of the centre and south of the peninsula, where, foreseeably, it will stay warm.

Snow and hail provoked yesterday a series of problems in Asturian roads. The Huerna motorway (AP-66) remained with the yellow code almost all day long; this is, closed to trucks and with a speed limit of 60 kilometres per hour for cars and coaches. Other five roads remained by the moment of closing this edition closed for all types of vehicles (black level), those mountain ports of San Isidro (as-112), Tarna (AS-117), Leitariegos (AS-213), Ventana (AS-228) and El Connio (AS-348). Other thirteen remained closed in the early hours of the night to articulated vehicles, trucks and coaches, and cars could only travel with chains or winter tyres and to a maximum speed of 30 kilometres per hour (red level); these mountain ports were Pajares (N-630), La Garganta (AS-11) El Acebo (AS-12), El Palo (AS-14), Cerredo (AS-15), Tormaleo (AS-112), Somiedo (AS-227), La Cobertoria (AS-230), La Colladona (AS-252), Collada de Arnicio (AS-254), Pozo de las Mujeres Muertas (AS-29) y La Marta (AS-364). The road to Pontón mountain port (N-625) was also with red level over the course of the day. This road links Asturias and León.

In Pajares port the snow reached 40 centimetres high at nine in the evening. And it kept on snowing. But, apart form the snow, the storm reduced visibility considerably in that and other mountain roads in Asturias. That is why the authorities called constantly for caution. The temperatures will continue low today (15 degrees below average). The snow level will be around 200 metres. Asturias will remain on alert for risk of wind, snowfalls and heavy swell until tomorrow.