Storm Emma to bring rain, wind and snow to Spain, France and Portugal into Thursday
People were filmed throwing snowballs at each other in front of Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, as Rome's six year streak without snow was broken.
A powerful late-winter storm, given the name Storm Emma, will bring rounds of heavy rain, snow and locally damaging winds to parts of the Iberian Peninsula and France into Thursday.
Rain spread over much of Portugal and Spain on Tuesday and Wednesday. Precipitation began as a period of snow across northern Spain before changing to rain.
Rainfall totals of 50-75 mm (2-3 inches) was common across northern Portugal through midday Wednesday.
Areas from southern Portugal into central and western Spain had recorded 12-25 mm (0.50-1.00 inch).
Unsettled weather will continue Thursday as Storm Emma approaches the coast of northern Portugal and northwestern Spain.
During this time, additional rounds of heavy rain will pummel western and northwestern Spain as well as all of Portugal.
Rainfall amounts of 12-50 mm (0.5-2.0 inches) will be common, with local amounts up to 75 mm (3 inches).
Rainfall of this magnitude on top of what has already fallen will result in a high risk for flash flooding and also raise the risk for mudslides.
Normal rainfall in Lisbon, Portugal, for the entire month of February is around 75 mm (3 inches).
As Emma lifts northward toward the British Isles on Friday, another storm will target the Iberian Peninsula with more rainfall.
A third storm will then arrive over the weekend, bringing additional downpours and gusty winds.
Total rainfall through the weekend could reach 250 mm (10 inches) in the hardest hit locations of northern Portugal and western Spain.
Each additional round of rain will only further increase the risk for flooding and mudslides.
In addition to the threat for heavy rainfall, locally damaging winds will be a concern on Thursday and Friday across much of Spain and Portugal.
Widespread wind gusts of 50-65 km/h (31-40 mph) are expected; however, local gusts of 80-100 km/h (50-62 mph) are possible. The greatest risk for these wind gusts will be in central Portugal on Thursday and northern Portugal and northwestern Spain late Friday into Friday night.
While Spain and Portugal will bear the brunt of the heavy rain and wind associated with Storm Emma, much of France is at risk for accumulating snowfall.
Arctic air from Siberia has plunged across much of western Europe and will set the stage for significant snowfall across France into Thursday.
The storm will start as snow across southern and central parts of the country before mixing with or changing to rain Wednesday night.
Despite mixing with or changing to rain, a coating to 8 cm of snow will still be possible across these areas, with locally higher amounts in the higher terrain of central France.
Snow is forecast to fall all the way to the Mediterranean coast, including Montpellier, Marseille and Nice, where a slushy coating to perhaps 5 cm (2 inches) is expected from the rare snowfall.
Farther north, the cold air will hold, resulting in a period of light to moderate snowfall Wednesday night into Thursday morning, which will total 2-8 cm (1-3 inches) from Nantes to Paris and Dijon.
This snowfall is expected to create travel disruption across northern France. School delays and closures are also possible.
In Paris, snow will begin late Wednesday night and continue at times into Thursday, when it may mix with or change to rain before ending.
Storm Emma will bring an end to the recent frigid weather that has developed across France, as milder air from the Atlantic Ocean will return in its wake.
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