Girona, Catalonia, Spain – Video recorded by local resident RamondeGirona shows the Riu Onyar in severe flood at the entrance to the city of Girona, near Carrer del Carme, during the morning of January 20, 2026.
The footage captures the river, usually shallow or slow-moving, transformed into a broad and powerful surge of muddy brown water. The riverbed is fully submerged as the swollen flow pushes into nearby streets and other low-lying areas.
The water appears thick and opaque, loaded with sediment and debris typical of sudden flooding. Strong currents form small waves and swirling eddies across the surface.
A large black corrugated plastic drainage pipe is visible in the foreground, partly underwater and rocking in the current. Its movement highlights both the depth of the floodwater and the force of the flow.
Along the riverbank, multi-story apartment buildings with light-colored facades, balconies, shutters, wall-mounted air-conditioning units, and hanging laundry stand just above the rising water. Stone and concrete retaining walls and adjacent sidewalks are partly submerged or repeatedly washed by the flood.
No people, vehicles, or clear structural damage can be seen in the video. However, the closeness of the buildings to the swollen river underlines the danger of overflow into urban areas.
The scene reflects intense rainfall and rapid river swelling across Catalonia on January 20, 2026. While the flooding is not described as catastrophic, sudden surges in the Onyar pose a threat to low-lying sections of both historic and modern parts of Girona.
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