Snowstorm closes Madrid airport, creates travel chaos

Heavy snowfall from Storm Filomena closed Madrid airport on Friday, blocked hundreds of roads and left drivers trapped in their vehicles. "Owing to the adverse meteorological conditions flights are being diverted from Madrid Barajas airport. The M-30 and M-40 motorways near Madrid were closed and more than 400 main roads were affected by the snow, traffic authorities said.

Heavy snowfall from Storm Filomena closed Madrid airport on Friday, blocked hundreds of roads and left drivers trapped in their vehicles.

"Owing to the adverse meteorological conditions flights are being diverted from Madrid Barajas airport. Consult your airline for the state of your flight," Aena, which controls the country's airports, said in a tweet. Real Madrid football team were left waiting on a plane for more than two hours at Madrid airport, headed to Pamplona for a match against La Liga rivals Osasuna.

With up to 20 cm (8 inches) of snow forecast in 24 hours and temperatures hovering around zero centigrade, the south of the Madrid region was on its highest level of alert for the first time since the system was created in 2007. The M-30 and M-40 motorways near Madrid were closed and more than 400 main roads were affected by the snow, traffic authorities said. Authorities asked citizens to avoid non-essential travel.

Some drivers were trapped in their vehicles in Madrid as they were unable to move because of icy roads. Large parks in the capital, including the famous Retiro next to the Prado museum, were closed as a precaution.

"I have come out to see and enjoy the snow. There is very little else to do these days (because of the pandemic)," Juan Jose, 24, a marketing executive, said outside Retiro Park. Troops from the Unit for Military Emergencies helped clear roads and infrastructure across the country, the defence ministry said.

High-speed rail services between Madrid and the southeastern cities of Alicante and Valencia were suspended until Saturday, authorities said. A record temperature of -35.6C was recorded at Vega de Lourdes in Leon, northern Spain, the State Metereological Agency (Aemet) said.

"Perhaps we would have to go back to the snowfall of February 1984 or to that of March 1971 to find similar precedents if the forecasts we are expecting are correct," said Ruben del Campo, an Aemet spokesman.

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