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Authorities said Sunday that two people died and one is missing near Barcelona after torrential rains hit the northeastern Spanish province, cautioning that the extreme weather is shifting north toward neighboring Girona.
Officials also warned of flooding in Girona, situated between Barcelona and the southwestern French border, and urged residents near the Ridaura and Daro rivers to stay indoors after both waterways burst their banks.
Persistent downpours and storms pummeled eastern Spain and parts of the central region of Castilla-La Mancha over the weekend, where a 102-year-old woman died as a result on Saturday.
AEMET, the Spanish Meteorological Office, said the storms began weakening around Barcelona near midday Sunday but are moving north.
"There are two fatalities and at least one person missing," David Borrell, head of the Catalonia region's fire service, told a press conference.
In Tordera, a wall at a campsite collapsed and killed one victim, while another drowned inside a flooded garage in Montornes del Valles. Both towns sit in Spain's northeastern Barcelona province.
Rescuers helped several people stranded in cars by flooded streets in Granollers, north of Barcelona, and other areas overnight. Officials called off public events in the highest-risk zones.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Sunday that Catalonia's situation remains "very complicated."
He urged locals to "avoid non-essential journeys" and follow emergency services' instructions, reiterating advice given by Catalonia regional leader Salvador Illa.
Several locations in the Barcelona area recorded more than 200 millimeters (8 inches) of rain, rescue services said.
Researchers say human-driven climate change is making Mediterranean storms that routinely lash eastern Spain in autumn stronger. The sea absorbs more heat over summer, causing extra evaporation and heavier rainfall.
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