Barcelona · 20.209 inhabitants · 4.172 buildings analysed one by one

Sant Quirze del VallèsClimate risk in its neighbourhoods, streets and rivers, today and in 2050

We have scored the climate risk of the 4.172 buildings in Sant Quirze del Vallès using Cadastre data, satellite imagery and climate projections, and added it up by area, street and watercourse. The clearest change comes at night: from 12 to 52 tropical nights a year by 2050.

12→52tropical nights a year in a typical building, today and by 2050
19%of homes at high or very high wildfire risk by 2050
68homes in the official flood zone (500 years)
At a glance

Where the risk lies by 2050

LowMediumHighVery highRivers and streams

Level of the highest hazard in each 250 m area by 2050: flooding, heat, wildfire, wind or ground movement.

Tropical nights a year in a typical building

Sant Quirze del Vallès compared with Spain

  • Tropical nights a year, 2050: 70 nights
    higher than 89 % of municipalities
  • Average summer maximum, 2050: 31,2 °C
    lower than 65 % of municipalities
  • Flood-prone area (100-year): 0,0%
    lower than 80 % of municipalities
  • Area burnt 2016-2026: 0,0%
    lower than 64 % of municipalities
  • Water stress 2050 (0-5): 4,5
    lower than 54 % of municipalities

Position among the 8.217 municipalities: further right means more risk. These are figures for the municipality as a whole, the same for everyone; they may differ from those for the typical building. Compare with others →

What stands out

What we found in Sant Quirze del Vallès

It comes from matching each building with its neighbourhood, its street, the nearest watercourse and its surroundings.

1

1.477 homes at very high wildfire risk

1.022 buildings

These are 1.022 buildings right next to vegetation that can burn. Of these, 7 are blocks of flats with 384 homes, where evacuation is harder.

  • Avinguda Can Pallàs: 211
  • Carrer de Segarra: 80
  • Carrer Font de la Riba: 48
  • Carrer de Baix de la Riera: 24

Proximity to woodland and to burnt areas (ESA WorldCover, EFFIS). It does not measure the state of the vegetation or any firebreaks.

2

From 12 to 52 tropical nights a year

12→52 nights

In a typical building in Sant Quirze del Vallès, nights when the temperature stays at or above 20 °C would rise from 12 a year (1991-2020) to about 52 by 2050. For this reason, 100 % of homes would be at a high or very high level.

Median of the buildings. Intermediate-to-high emissions scenario (SSP3-7.0).

3

Where there are fewer trees, 3,5 °C hotter

3,5 °C

Around homes with between 2 and 5 % tree cover, the surface in summer is 0,7 °C above the median for Sant Quirze del Vallès; with more than 40 % tree cover, 2,8 °C below. 0 homes are in surroundings with almost no trees.

Ground surface temperature (Landsat), not air temperature. More trees usually go with less asphalt and lower density: this is a correlation, not a measure of the effect of planting trees.

4

Torrent de la Font del Pont: 230 homes less than 50 m away, with no official map

230 homes

Along Torrent de la Font del Pont (0,9 km within the municipality, dry most of the year) there is no official mapped flood zone, but there are 230 homes less than 50 m from the watercourse.

Having no official map does not mean it cannot overflow: watercourses that are dry most of the year are the ones that cause the most surprises in a storm.

5

68 homes in a flood zone

68 homes

They are in the area that can flood once every 500 years according to the official maps (SNCZI); 18 of them are in the 100-year area. Next to Riera de les Arenes, 41 homes are inside the flood zone, less than 100 m from the watercourse.

According to the Ministry’s studies, this is an annual probability of 0,2 % (500 years) or 1 % (100 years), not “once every 500 years”: it can happen two years in a row. Small gullies are not always mapped.

Six hazards

How many homes are at high risk, today and in 2050

The 7.738 homes in Sant Quirze del Vallès by the level of their building. Tap a hazard to see it on the map.

LowMediumHighVery high
What can be done

For the town council and for residents

For the town council and its technical staff

  • Climate shelters, and late-afternoon and evening opening hours at libraries and community centres in the areas with the most tropical nights.
  • Review with the river basin authority the watercourses with no official mapping that run next to homes, and keep them clear.
  • Firebreaks and evacuation routes in the streets that border woodland.
  • Download the tables by area, neighbourhood, street and watercourse (Data tab) to cross-check them with urban planning.

For residents

  • Air your home in the early hours, shade west-facing walls from the sun and ask about grants to insulate the roof.
  • If you live on a ground floor or have a garage next to a watercourse, have a plan: where to go upstairs, what to switch off and how to hear about warnings.
  • Keep the strip around your house clear of dry vegetation and know both ways out of your street.
  • Look up your building: the free report gives its level for each hazard, and the Climate Note gives the full detail.

Look up your building