The Madrid City Council has decided to close this Wednesday El Retiro and eight other major historical parks in the city – El Capricho, the Sabatini Gardens, the Parque del Oeste rose garden, the Juan Carlos I and Juan Pablo II parks and the Fuente Villas del Berro, de los Molinos and Torre Arias – given the forecast by the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) of wind gusts that could reach 63 kilometers per hour Municipal sources have pointed this out.
The strongest wind peaks of up to 63 kilometers per hour are expected from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., while gusts of over 55 kilometers per hour are expected for the rest of the day. The closure is carried out in accordance with the protocol for measures in exceptionally adverse weather situations, which provides for four types of alerts, from green alert, normality and opening without restrictions, to red alert, which implies closure and cessation of activities in these nine parks.
The protocol is activated when certain thresholds for wind speed, soil moisture, temperature and snowfall are exceeded, which in many cases will not trigger a general Aemet warning in the city but is likely to cause damage to trees in the areas. Parks, big and old. Aemet creates an ad hoc bulletin every day at around five in the afternoon, which is updated on the same day as the warning, in order to avoid unnecessary closures.
This Wednesday, for example, there is no Aemet announcement for the Community of Madrid, but there is for 15 other autonomies and Ceuta. The cause lies in Atlantic Storm Irene – the ninth storm of the season – and the passage of several associated fronts, causing a storm with strong winds of up to 100 kilometers per hour, rain, storms and rough seas.
Once the red alert has ended, the city council will carry out an inspection of the incidents that have occurred and begin removing any fallen branches and trees. In addition, as described on the city website, those deemed unstable will be removed and the most serious damage to the remaining park elements will be repaired.
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The Retiro and the other facilities will therefore reopen on Thursday. The Madrid City Council will provide information through its usual channels, including the 22 information boards at the entrances to El Retiro. In addition, the City Council has an online tool, Geoportal, with which you can know in real time the opening and closing status of the most representative parks and see weather alerts.
There were already restrictions in the parks on Tuesday. From 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The orange alarm has been activated and from 9 p.m. to 12 p.m. the yellow alert, which meant that the Retiro and the eight city parks had marked areas that were inaccessible, such as the Cecilio Rodríguez Gardens and the children's, senior and sports areas. The orange alert also means the suspension of outdoor events.
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