Overview

• A joint study by Universitat de València, Avamet, and Aemet identifies the Horteta and Gallego ravines as the primary drivers of the October 2024 flood, not the Poyo headwaters.
• Three-quarters of the 771.8 l/m² rainfall fell in just four hours, with intense precipitation starting in the Horteta and Gallego basins at least an hour before the Poyo headwaters.
• The perpendicular alignment of the A-3 motorway acted as a barrier, diverting and delaying portions of the Poyo floodwaters into adjacent ravines, complicating real-time detection.
• Researchers propose using high-resolution hydraulic modeling to reconstruct the flood and quantify individual ravine contributions for improved future flood management.
• The findings highlight critical gaps in gauge placement and monitoring infrastructure, which obscured upstream flows and delayed accurate attribution of flood dynamics.