News as a Climate Data Source: Studying Hydrometeorological Risks and Severe Weather via Local Television in Catalonia (Spain)
2025
Joan Targas | Tomas Molina | Gori Masip
This study analyzes the evolution of hydrometeorological risks and severe weather events in Catalonia through an extensive review of 21,312 news reports aired by Televisió: de Catalunya (TVC) between 1984 and 2019, 10,686 (50.1%) of which focused on events within Catalonia. The reports are categorized by the type of phenomenon, geographic location, and reported impact, enabling the identification of temporal trends. The results indicate a general increase in the frequency of news coverage of hydrometeorological and severe weather events&mdash:particularly floods and heavy rainfall&mdash:both in Catalonia and the broader Mediterranean region. This rise is attributed not only to a potential increase in such events, but also to the expansion and evolution of media coverage over time. In the Catalan context, the most frequently reported hazards are snowfalls and cold waves (3203 reports), followed by rainfall and flooding (3065), agrometeorological risks (2589), and wind or sea storms (1456). The study highlights that rainfall and flooding pose the most significant risks in Catalonia, as they account for the majority of the reports involving serious impacts&mdash:1273 cases of material damage and 150 involving fatalities. The normalized data reveal a growing proportion of reports on violent weather and floods, and a relative decline in snow-related events.
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