Storm Bruna: rain, gales and heavy seas in western Spain

Storm Bruna, named by the Portuguese weather service IPMA, is deepening west of the Azores and approaches the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula at the start of next week. Its frontal system brings rain, gales and heavy seas to western Spain and the Canary Islands.

According to our models the episode begins on Saturday, reaches its peak on Monday, 9 November, and keeps the heavy rain going into Tuesday.

What AEMET says

The Spanish weather service AEMET describes a severe-weather situation with strong to very strong and persistent showers, thunderstorms, very strong gusts and a maritime storm along the western side.

It warns of local flooding and rising rivers. It pays particular attention to the areas affected by this summer's wildfires: there the ground absorbs water less readily, and persistent rain runs off more easily.

AEMET stresses that the exact position of the low is still uncertain, and with it the distribution of the rainfall.

What our models calculate

Our ICON global puts Bruna's centre at around 978 hPa in the night to Monday, west of Galicia, before it moves on to the northeast. ECMWF shows the same sequence.

The driver is aloft: ICON-EU shows a cold trough with values around 540 geopotential decametres at 500 hPa, well below the usual 552 to 560.

For the gusts, ICON-EU calculates 104 km/h at Finisterre on Monday, 80 km/h at Santiago, 77 at Vigo and 65 at A Coruña. At exposed coastal points in Galicia, values around 100 km/h are defensible — with reservations, because the exact figure depends strongly on the location and the hour.

Storm Bruna: the strongest gusts

Forecast daily maximum per location · mark in the bar: 90 km/h · ICON-EU run of 6 November 2026, 00 UTC

Saturday 7 Nov Sunday 8 Nov Monday 9 Nov Tuesday 10 Nov

1. 1Finisterre Costa da Morte104 km/h
2. 2Santiago Galicia80 km/h
3. 3Vigo Galicia77 km/h
4. 4Canfranc Pyrenees71 km/h
5. 5A Coruña Galicia65 km/h
6. 6Cáceres Extremadura58 km/h
7. 7Sevilla Andalusia56 km/h
8. 8Málaga Costa del Sol37 km/h

The sequence by region

Canary Islands, Friday to Sunday. AEMET expects strong showers in the west of the archipelago, locally heavy on La Palma, spreading to all the islands on Sunday. Our ICON global keeps the amounts modest — around 15 mm on La Gomera on Sunday — but does show wind: gusts of up to 81 km/h on La Gomera and 71 on La Palma.

Northwest, Saturday to Monday. The first front reaches the northwest on Friday evening. From Saturday the wind freshens along the Galician coast, and Monday brings the peak, with the gusts mentioned above and rain turning persistent.

Southwest, Monday and Tuesday. With the southerly to southwesterly flow, the largest totals are expected in the classic ábrego situations: southwestern Andalusia, Extremadura, the Gredos area and the Atlantic side of Galicia. For Tuesday ICON-EU expects 33 mm at Santiago, 31 at Seville and 26 at Finisterre; for Monday, 24 mm at Seville and 17 at Finisterre.

At these locations ECMWF and ICON-EU are close to each other. At others, such as A Coruña and Vigo, the calculated rainfall still differs widely between the two models — a good indication that the exact track is not yet settled.

The Cantabrian and Mediterranean sides can see rain too, but more scattered. The Costa del Sol stays on the edge of the episode.

Heavy seas

From Sunday, AEMET expects strong winds and waves of 5 to 6 metres on the west coast of Galicia, and close to 4 metres off western Andalusia, with the swell running perpendicular to the coast.

Within its forecast range our EWAM wave model reaches about 4 metres off Finisterre on Monday, with the curve still rising at the end of the period it covers. AEMET's higher figures refer to the open sea and the hours that follow.

Precautions

Take care near rivers and in flood-prone areas, avoid barrancos and never drive through flooded roads.

In the areas burnt this summer, persistent rain deserves particular attention because the water runs off faster and carries material with it.

On the Galician coast and in western Andalusia, the combination of wind and swell is a good reason to stay away from breakwaters, exposed promenades and rocky shores.

And it bears repeating: Bruna's exact track can still change, and with it the distribution of the amounts. Following the updates is worth it.

Following the situation

On our interactive maps you can follow how gusts, rain and pressure shift from one run to the next. Our forecasts are recalculated four times a day.For warnings and recommendations, AEMET and the civil protection authorities always apply.

Weather you can understand. Information you can trust.

Name of the storm: IPMA. Assessment of the situation: AEMET information note of 5 November 2026. Figures: ICON-EU, ICON global and EWAM models from meteo365.es, runs of 6 November 2026, 00 UTC. These are forecast values, not measurements.