All around the world people have visited Alicante for their COSTA BLANCA HOLIDAYS and it is easy to see why 300 days a year of glorious sunshine and hardly a drop of rain a year, unless counting the infamous “Gota Fría”. The Gota Fria is the result of long hot periods of sun and the evaporation of the Mediterranean Sea creating ideal conditions for any lurking cold fronts, especially when a cold front arrives then trapped behind the mountains. Not having anywhere to go, the evaporating water forms clouds that although are not large at first glance but can be up to 10 kilometres in height. Those clouds can appear in just a few hours, and because there is no length to them just a breeze can push them over the mountains so the deluge can be enormous. Flash floods are not uncommon especially during spring and autumn although some rain is welcome in these parts. All across the Costa Blanca there are areas that are extremely arid where a flash flood with as much as 12 inches of rainfall is not so welcome. Pathways used for hundreds of years suddenly become river beds, gullies turn into small lagoons, a narrow river flowing across a road could just as easily be a washed up bridge so take care when crossing. Storm drains often cannot cope with the sudden deluge and people have been killed during the Gota Fria, although not as many that have been killed by speeding cars - another plague of the Costa Blanca. “The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain" is of course a phrase helping people to pronounce the English language, helping Professor Higgins from “My Fair Lady” teach Eliza Doolittle with that phrase as a speech exercise. Of course, it has nothing to do with the phenomenon of the Gota Fria. It is a force to be aware of. When one says flash flood almost always another thinks just an hour maybe more, sure that may be the case, but there have been times those flash floods have lasted days. Destruction of property is not unusual as trees are bought down by a sudden rush of water, boats brought far inland and towns that sit quietly on level ground can have a metre high of water covering the whole area. Now we know why the Moors built their villages up high in the hills. The Gota Fria is not uncommon. The Spanish had to cope with them long before the English, French and Germans started to come here for their annual holidays. Providing you know what and how there are plenty of warnings when one is expected, especially on the radio and TV. Even the English radio channels give out warnings and the authorities give out either an orange or a red warning. With an orange warning, barriers are placed at places susceptible to damage or flooding. With a red warning then an area at risk are closed along with schools and non essential traffic is discouraged. All this happened as you were about to enjoy your COSTA BLANCA HOLIDAYS down on the beach.
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