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Snow Closes Mountain Passes in Álava as Orange Alert Holds Through Afternoon

Forecasters expect improving conditions by late afternoon with the orange alert scheduled to end.

Overview

  • - Multiple routes were disrupted early Friday: Opakua, Herrera and La Tejera were closed, with chains required at Vitoria, Bernedo, Orduña and Zaldiaran, and warnings in other stretches including Altube and the A-1 toward Irún.
  • - AEMET and Euskalmet projected the snow level rising from 400–500 meters to 700–900 meters later in the day, with the alert expected to drop around 18:00 as showers ease.
  • - Authorities activated large winter-response operations: the Basque government readied 215 snowplows, heavy cranes and support vehicles; the Álava provincial service began with four plow trucks; and the national ministry deployed 541 plows and over 110,000 tonnes of de-icers across affected regions.
  • - Vitoria reported city buses running normally and launched a municipal pre-emergency for snow with salting points and plow equipment, while 42 additional shelter beds were opened overnight for people without housing.
  • - Local gaps persisted in Montaña Alavesa, where volunteer contractors halted snow-clearing over an insurance dispute, and measured impacts included 10–20 cm in Asparrena and a minimum of −3.3 °C in Herrera.