Tarragona · 35.997 inhabitants · 12.189 buildings analysed one by one

TortosaClimate risk in its neighbourhoods, streets and rivers, today and in 2050

We have scored the climate risk of the 12.189 buildings in Tortosa using Cadastre data, satellite imagery and climate projections, and added it up by area, street and watercourse. The clearest change comes at night: from 46 to 81 tropical nights a year by 2050.

46→81tropical nights a year in a typical building, today and by 2050
62%of homes at high or very high flood risk by 2050
12.237homes 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

Tortosa compared with Spain

  • Tropical nights a year, 2050: 98 nights
    higher than 96 % of municipalities
  • Average summer maximum, 2050: 31,9 °C
    lower than 58 % of municipalities
  • Flood-prone area (100-year): 9,7%
    higher than 91 % of municipalities
  • Area burnt 2016-2026: 0,5%
    higher than 80 % of municipalities
  • Water stress 2050 (0-5): 2,6
    lower than 86 % 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 Tortosa

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

1

12.237 homes in a flood zone

12.237 homes

They are in the area that can flood once every 500 years according to the official maps (SNCZI); 10.817 of them are in the 100-year area. Next to Barranc del Celio, 549 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.

2

4.878 homes at very high wildfire risk

6.648 buildings

These are 6.648 buildings right next to vegetation that can burn. Of these, 11 are blocks of flats with 301 homes, where evacuation is harder.

  • Avinguda de Remolins: 113
  • Carrer de Ramon Berenguer IV: 57
  • Carrer de Barcelona: 47
  • carrer de Llevant: 33

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

3

From 46 to 81 tropical nights a year

46→81 nights

In a typical building in Tortosa, nights when the temperature stays at or above 20 °C would rise from 46 a year (1991-2020) to about 81 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).

4

14 schools, care homes or health centres in a flood zone

14 facilities

They are in the official 500-year flood zone or in a preferential flow zone. They are the first to review in an emergency plan: who is inside, how to get out and whether they use the ground floor.

  • Health centre: Centre d'Atenció Primària Baix Ebre
  • Nursery school: Lo Ganbusí
  • School: Institut Dertosa
  • School: Institut Escola Daniel Mangrané

OpenStreetMap location matched to the nearest Cadastre building.

5

Where there are fewer trees, 2,4 °C hotter

2,4 °C

Around homes with less than 2 % tree cover, the surface in summer is 0,8 °C above the median for Tortosa; with more than 40 % tree cover, 1,6 °C below. 3.111 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.

Six hazards

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

The 18.613 homes in Tortosa 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.
  • Shade and trees in the playgrounds of the 8 schools with the hottest surroundings.
  • 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.
  • Emergency self-protection plans in the schools, care homes and health centres that are in a flood zone.

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